𑀫𑀸

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

PIE word
*meh₁

From Sanskrit मा (mā́). Cognate with Pali mā, Gandhari 𐨨 (ma).

Particle

𑀫𑀸 (mā)

1. not, do not (prohibitive particle)

Alternative forms

Attested at Delhi-Topra, Dhauli, Girnar, Jaugada and Kalsi.

Dialectal forms of 𑀫𑀸 (“not, do not”)
Variety	Location	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀫 (ma), 𑀫𑀸 (mā)
	Delhi-Topra	𑀫𑀸 (mā)
East	Dhauli	𑀫𑀸 (mā)
	Jaugada	𑀫𑀸 (mā)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨨 (ma)
	Mansehra	𐨨 (ma)
West	Girnar	𑀫𑀸 (mā)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀫𑀸 (“not, do not”)
𑀫𑀸 (mā) (5) 𐨨 (ma) (2) 𑀫 (ma) (1)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀸 (mā)
  • Old Bengali: মা (mā)
  • Sauraseni Prakrit:
    • Gurjara Apabhramsa:
      • Old Gujarati: म (ma)
    • Romani: ma
  • Takka Apabhramsa:
    • ⇒ Old Punjabi: ਮਖਟੂ (makhaṭū /⁠makhaṭṭū⁠/, “not earning, idle”, adjective), ਮਚਾਂਗਵਾ (macāṁgavā /⁠macāṁgavāṁ⁠/, “not good, bad”, adjective)
  • Vracada Apabhramsa:
    • Sindhi:

      Arabic script: م

      Devanagari script: म

• ⇒ Prakrit: 𑀫𑀸𑀇𑀅 (māia), 𑀫𑀸𑀇 (māi), 𑀫𑀇𑀅 (maïa)
• ⇒ Prakrit: 𑀫𑀁𑀢 (maṃta)
  • Takka Apabhramsa:
    • Old Punjabi: ਮਤ (mata), ਮਤਿ (mati), ਮਤੁ (matu)
      • Punjabi: mat

        Gurmukhi script: ਮਤ

        Shahmukhi script: مَت

  • Vracada Apabhramsa:
    • Sindhi:

      Arabic script: مَتان, مَتَڻ, مَتُڻِ

      Devanagari script: मतां, मतण, मतुणि

  • Sauraseni Prakrit:
    • Sauraseni Apabhramsa:
      • Hindustani: mat

        Hindi: मत

        Urdu: مَت (mat)

Further reading

• Hultzsch, E[ugen Julius Theodor] (1925) Inscriptions of Aśoka (new edition), in Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, volume 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 250.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “māˊ”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

Old Tamil

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

𑀫𑀸 (mā)

1. big
2. dark

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

𑀫𑀸 (mā)

1. horse

Descendants

• Tamil: மா (mā)