अगरबत्ती

Hindi

Etymology

अगर (agar, “aloe”) +‎ बत्ती (battī, “candle”). Compare Punjabi ਅਗਰਬੱਤੀ (agarbattī). Borrowed from Dravidian,[1] probably Tamil அகில் (akil).[2]

Pronunciation

(Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ə.ɡəɾ.bət̪.t̪iː/, [ə.ɡəɾ.bət̪̚.t̪iː]
Audio (file)

Noun

अगरबत्ती • (agarbattī) f (Urdu spelling اگربتی‎)

incense stick, scented candle

Declension

Declension of अगरबत्ती (fem ī-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	अगरबत्ती agarbattī	अगरबत्तियाँ agarbattiyā̃
oblique	अगरबत्ती agarbattī	अगरबत्तियों agarbattiyõ
vocative	अगरबत्ती agarbattī	अगरबत्तियो agarbattiyo

References

Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “agaru”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
Shulman, David Dean (2016) Tamil: A biography, Harvard University Press, pages 19-20:
We have ahalim [in Hebrew], probably derived directly from Tamil akil rather than from Sanskrit aguru, itself a loan from the Tamil (Numbers 24.8; Proverbs 7.17; Song of Songs 4.14; Psalms 45.9--the latter two instances with the feminine plural form ahalot. Akil is, we think, native to South India, and it is thus not surprising that the word was borrowed by cultures that imported this plant.

[CDIAL-1] Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “agaru”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

[2] Shulman, David Dean (2016) Tamil: A biography, Harvard University Press, pages 19-20:
We have ahalim [in Hebrew], probably derived directly from Tamil akil rather than from Sanskrit aguru, itself a loan from the Tamil (Numbers 24.8; Proverbs 7.17; Song of Songs 4.14; Psalms 45.9--the latter two instances with the feminine plural form ahalot. Akil is, we think, native to South India, and it is thus not surprising that the word was borrowed by cultures that imported this plant.