Reconstruction:Ashokan Prakrit/𑀔𑀸𑀟

This Ashokan Prakrit entry contains reconstructed words and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Somehow related to Sanskrit कर्त (kartá, “hole”), काट (kāṭá), गर्त (gárta), but Mayrhofer ties these to Proto-Indo-Iranian *kártas (whence Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬴𐬀‎ (kaṣ̌a)).[1] The variety of forms of this term throughout Indo-Aryan point to a substrate borrowing.

There appears to be conflation with a very similar Ashokan Prakrit *𑀔𑀟𑁆𑀟 (*khaḍḍa). Punjabi, however, does not reflect a geminated consonant in this set of cognates.

Noun

*𑀔𑀸𑀟 (*khāḍa) m

hole, hollow

Descendants

Maharastri Prakrit: *𑀔𑀸𑀟 (*khāḍa)
- Marathi: खाड (khāḍ, “hole”)
Sauraseni Prakrit: *𑀔𑀸𑀟 (*khāḍa)
- Punjabi: ਖਾਡ਼ (khāṛ, “level land at the foot of a mountain”)
- Romani: xar (“hole”)

Derived terms

*𑀔𑀸𑀟𑁆-𑀇𑀓𑀸 (*khāḍ-ikā, “bay, gulf”)
- Magadhi Prakrit:
  - Bengali: খাঁড়ি (khãṛi)
- Sauraseni Prakrit:
  - Gujarati: ખાડી (khāḍī)
  - Hindi: खाड़ी (khāṛī)
  - Punjabi: ਖਾੜੀ (khāṛī)

References

Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992–2001) , “kartá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan] (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 317