गर्दभ

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• গৰ্দভ (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬃᬤᬪ (Balinese script)
• গর্দভ (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰨𑰿𑰟𑰥 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀭𑁆𑀤𑀪 (Brahmi script)
• ဂရ်္ဒဘ (Burmese script)
• ગર્દભ (Gujarati script)
• ਗਰ੍ਦਭ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑌰𑍍𑌦𑌭 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦂꦢꦨ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂩𑂹𑂠𑂦 (Kaithi script)
• ಗರ್ದಭ (Kannada script)
• គទ៌ភ (Khmer script)
• ຄຣ຺ທຠ (Lao script)
• ഗര്ദഭ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᠠᡵᡩᠠᢨᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘨𑘿𑘟𑘥 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠠᠷᢑᠠᠪᠾᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑧈𑧠𑦿𑧅 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐬𑑂𑐡𑐨 (Newa script)
• ଗର୍ଦଭ (Odia script)
• ꢔꢬ꣄ꢣꢩ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆫𑇀𑆢𑆨 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖨𑖿𑖟𑖥 (Siddham script)
• ගර්‍දභ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩼 𑪙𑩭𑩳 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚤𑚶𑚛𑚡 (Takri script)
• க³ர்த³ப⁴ (Tamil script)
• గర్దభ (Telugu script)
• ครฺทภ (Thai script)
• ག་རྡ་བྷ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒩𑓂𑒠𑒦 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨫𑩇𑨛𑨡 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of unclear origin.

Perhaps a derivation from the possibly onomatopoeic root गर्द् (gard, “to cry”), with a suffix formed by analogy to the one in ऋषभ (ṛṣabha, “bull”).^[1]

An alternative theory considers the word as a Dravidian borrowing, formed as *गर्द (garda) + an Indo-European animal suffix *भ (bha) as seen in ऋषभ (ṛṣabha) above; compare Tamil கழுதை (kaḻutai), Kuvi ଗା୕ଡ଼୍ଦେ (gāṛde), Duruwa [script needed] (garad).^[2] However, the formal mismatch between the Dravidian and Sanskrit forms, the Sanskrit word's Vedic status, the gratuitous attachment of a bound suffix of supposed Indo-European origin to a loaned word, and the fact that donkeys were well-known to steppe tribes (including the Indo-Iranians), casts doubt on this derivation.^[1][3]

Possibly related to Tocharian B kercapo (“donkey”), perhaps via a borrowing from Sanskrit to Tocharian, though further details are uncertain.^[3]

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɐɾ.dɐ.bʱɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɡɐɾ.d̪ɐ.bʱɐ/

Noun

गर्दभ • (gardabhá) stem, m

1. ass, donkey

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of गर्दभ

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	गर्दभः (gardabháḥ)	गर्दभौ (gardabhaú) गर्दभा¹ (gardabhā́¹)	गर्दभाः (gardabhā́ḥ) गर्दभासः¹ (gardabhā́saḥ¹)
vocative	गर्दभ (gárdabha)	गर्दभौ (gárdabhau) गर्दभा¹ (gárdabhā¹)	गर्दभाः (gárdabhāḥ) गर्दभासः¹ (gárdabhāsaḥ¹)
accusative	गर्दभम् (gardabhám)	गर्दभौ (gardabhaú) गर्दभा¹ (gardabhā́¹)	गर्दभान् (gardabhā́n)
instrumental	गर्दभेन (gardabhéna)	गर्दभाभ्याम् (gardabhā́bhyām)	गर्दभैः (gardabhaíḥ) गर्दभेभिः¹ (gardabhébhiḥ¹)
dative	गर्दभाय (gardabhā́ya)	गर्दभाभ्याम् (gardabhā́bhyām)	गर्दभेभ्यः (gardabhébhyaḥ)
ablative	गर्दभात् (gardabhā́t)	गर्दभाभ्याम् (gardabhā́bhyām)	गर्दभेभ्यः (gardabhébhyaḥ)
genitive	गर्दभस्य (gardabhásya)	गर्दभयोः (gardabháyoḥ)	गर्दभानाम् (gardabhā́nām)
locative	गर्दभे (gardabhé)	गर्दभयोः (gardabháyoḥ)	गर्दभेषु (gardabhéṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• गर्दभक (gardabhaka, “of or relating to a donkey”)
• गर्दभी (gardabhī, “female donkey / jenny”)
• गार्दभ (gārdabha, “of or relating to a donkey”)
  • Kannada: ಗಾರ್ದಭ (gārdabha, “donkey”)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Khowar: گوردوغ (gordóġ)
• Pali: gadrabha
• Prakrit: 𑀕𑀤𑁆𑀤𑀳 (gaddaha) (see there for further descendants)
• → Bengali: গর্দভ (gordobh), গর্ধভ (gordhobh) (semi-learned)
• → Telugu: గర్దభము (gardabhamu)
• →? Proto-Tocharian: *kercäpā
  • Tocharian B: kercapo

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “गर्दभ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 349/2.
• Apte, Macdonell (2022) “गर्दभ”, in Digital Dictionaries of South Asia [Combined Sanskrit Dictionaries]

1. Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 473
2. Burrow, T., Emeneau, M. B. (1984) “1364”, in A Dravidian etymological dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 126.
3. Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 328