यवन

यवन

See also: युवन, युवन्, and यौवन

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ᬬᬯᬦ (Balinese script)
• যৱন (Assamese script)
• যবন (Bengali script)
• 𑰧𑰪𑰡 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀬𑀯𑀦 (Brahmi script)
• 𑌯𑌵𑌨 (Grantha script)
• યવન (Gujarati script)
• ਯਵਨ (Gurmukhi script)
• ꦪꦮꦤ (Javanese script)
• យវន (Khmer script)
• ಯವನ (Kannada script)
• ຍວນ (Lao script)
• യവന (Malayalam script)
• 𑘧𑘪𑘡 (Modi script)
• ᠶ᠋ᠠᠸᠠᠨᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• ᠶᠠᠸᠠᠨᠠ (Manchu script)
• ယဝန (Burmese script)
• 𑧇𑧊𑧁 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐫𑐰𑐣 (Newa script)
• ଯଵନ (Oriya script)
• ꢫꢮꢥ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆪𑆮𑆤 (Sharada script)
• 𑖧𑖪𑖡 (Siddham script)
• යවන (Sinhalese script)
• యవన (Telugu script)
• ยวน (Thai script)
• ཡ་ཝ་ན (Tibetan script)
• 𑒨𑒫𑒢 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

Borrowed from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀬𑁄𑀦 (yona), borrowed from Old Persian 𐎹𐎢𐎴 (y-u-n /yauna/), ultimately from Ancient Greek Ἴων (Íōn, “an Ionian”). The earliest foreign contact of Sanskrit speakers was likely the armies of Alexander the Great. See also म्लेच्छ (mleccha, “non-Aryan, barbarian”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈjɐ.ʋɐ.n̪ɐ/

Noun

यवन • (yavana) m

1. a foreigner, an outsider not part of the four-tiers of varna
   1. a Greek, Ionian

      यवनेश्वर ― yavaneśvara ― king of the Greeks

      • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
      • c. 200 BCE – 200 CE, Manusmṛti
      • c. 150 CE, Yavanajātaka :

        यवनजातक

        yavanajātaka

        nativity according to the Greeks

   2. Bactrian
   3. Scythians
      • c. 500 BCE – 100 BCE, Rāmāyaṇa 1.54.20b, 21a:

        विश्वामित्र अर्दितान् दृष्ट्वा पह्लवान् शतशः तदा ॥
        भूय एव असृजत् घोरान् शकान् यवन मिश्रितान् ।

        viśvāmitra arditān dṛṣṭvā pahlavān śataśaḥ tadā .
        bhūya eva asṛjat ghorān śakān yavana miśritān .

        • 2002 translation by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao

          On seeing the subdual of hundreds of Pahlava-s by Vishvamitra, then the Sacred Cow again generated deadly Shaka-s hobnobbed with Yavana-s through her mooing 'hums'.

   4. Arab, Muslim
   5. (Late Sanskrit) a European

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of यवन
Nom. sg.	यवनः (yavanaḥ)
Gen. sg.	यवनस्य (yavanasya)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	यवनः (yavanaḥ)	यवनौ (yavanau)	यवनाः (yavanāḥ)
Vocative	यवन (yavana)	यवनौ (yavanau)	यवनाः (yavanāḥ)
Accusative	यवनम् (yavanam)	यवनौ (yavanau)	यवनान् (yavanān)
Instrumental	यवनेन (yavanena)	यवनाभ्याम् (yavanābhyām)	यवनैः (yavanaiḥ)
Dative	यवनाय (yavanāya)	यवनाभ्याम् (yavanābhyām)	यवनेभ्यः (yavanebhyaḥ)
Ablative	यवनात् (yavanāt)	यवनाभ्याम् (yavanābhyām)	यवनेभ्यः (yavanebhyaḥ)
Genitive	यवनस्य (yavanasya)	यवनयोः (yavanayoḥ)	यवनानाम् (yavanānām)
Locative	यवने (yavane)	यवनयोः (yavanayoḥ)	यवनेषु (yavaneṣu)

Descendants

• → Bengali: যবন (ĵôbônô)
• → Hindi: यवन (yavan)
• → Tamil: யவனர் (yavaṉar)
• → Middle Chinese: 耶槃那 (MC jia buɑn nɑ)
• → Thai: ยวน (yuuan)
  • → Burmese: ယွန်း (ywan:)
• → Urdu: یون‎ (yavan)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “यवन”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, OCLC 458052227, page 848.