तरवारि

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Etymology

A Kulturwort of highly obscure origin.

The traditional theory considers the word as a rhotacized and betacized clipping of *तरबालिका (tarabālikā), a corruption of *करबालिका (karabālikā), a voiced variant of करपालिका (karapālikā, knife, (small) sword), a diminutive of करपाल (karapāla, sword, cudgel), a compound of कर (kara, hand) + पाल (pāla, protector), literally "hand-protector".

However, the wide range of lemmas in other languages which bear resemblance to the word, as well as its constituent syllables (*तर (tara) and *वारि (vāri)), casts doubt on the above derivation. For *तर (tara), compare Kurukh [script needed] (taṛṛī, sword), Ho [script needed] (torai, id), Pashto [script needed] (tūra, id), and Old Armenian թուր (tʻur, id); for *वारि (vāri), compare Tamil வாள் (vāḷ, id); and for the compound तरवारि (taravāri), compare Santali [script needed] (tarwaṛe, id), Prasuni [script needed] (trāž, id), and Kamkata-viri [script needed] (tərwōč, id). The -ṛ-, -ž-, and -č- sounds in the latter three lemmas, in particular, are difficult to reconcile with the simple -r- in the Sanskrit term, but would make more sense if borrowed from a Dravidian language.

As a solution, Mayrhofer proposes that the Sanskrit word is an "identity compound" of *तर (tara) and *वारि (vāri), both meaning "sword". *तर (tara) probably derives from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (to rub; to pierce), while *वारि (vāri) is borrowed from a Dravidian language (compare Proto-Dravidian *wāḷ (sword), whence the Tamil term வாள் (vāḷ, id) mentioned above). The Kurukh, Ho, and Pashto terms would then be borrowed from Indo-Aryan (perhaps at various chronological stages), with the full borrowings being phonetically influenced by the Dravidian term for sword.

He also takes करवाल (karavāla, sword, scimitar) and its relatives (including करवालिका (karavālikā, id), as well as possibly करपाल (karapāla, id) and करपालिका (karapālikā)), as partial loan translations of Tamil கைவாள் (kaivāḷ, short sword), with the similar-sounding and meaning कर (kara, doer; hand) substituting for the Dravidian கை (kai, hand). If करपाल (karapāla) is indeed related, then the "hand-protector" interpretation and phonetic shift is driven by folk etymology.

Pronunciation

Noun

तरवारि • (taravāri) stem, m

  1. sword, scimitar
    1. one-edged sword

Declension

Masculine i-stem declension of तरवारि (taravāri)
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative तरवारिः
taravāriḥ
तरवारी
taravārī
तरवारयः
taravārayaḥ
Vocative तरवारे
taravāre
तरवारी
taravārī
तरवारयः
taravārayaḥ
Accusative तरवारिम्
taravārim
तरवारी
taravārī
तरवारीन्
taravārīn
Instrumental तरवारिणा / तरवार्या¹
taravāriṇā / taravāryā¹
तरवारिभ्याम्
taravāribhyām
तरवारिभिः
taravāribhiḥ
Dative तरवारये
taravāraye
तरवारिभ्याम्
taravāribhyām
तरवारिभ्यः
taravāribhyaḥ
Ablative तरवारेः / तरवार्यः¹
taravāreḥ / taravāryaḥ¹
तरवारिभ्याम्
taravāribhyām
तरवारिभ्यः
taravāribhyaḥ
Genitive तरवारेः / तरवार्यः¹
taravāreḥ / taravāryaḥ¹
तरवार्योः
taravāryoḥ
तरवारीणाम्
taravārīṇām
Locative तरवारौ / तरवारा¹
taravārau / taravārā¹
तरवार्योः
taravāryoḥ
तरवारिषु
taravāriṣu
Notes
  • ¹Vedic

Descendants

References

  • Monier Williams (1899) “तरवारि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, [], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 438/3.
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 237
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 482
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