अलंकार

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit अलंकार (alaṃkāra). By surface analysis, अलम् (alam) +‎ कार (kār).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ə.ləŋ.kɑːɾ/, [ɐ.lɐ̃ŋ.käːɾ]

Noun

अलंकार • (alaṅkār) m (Urdu spelling النکار)

1. ornament, adornment, embellishment, decoration

   Synonym: सजावट (sajāvaṭ)

2. (rhetoric) an ornament of sound or sense

Declension

Declension of अलंकार (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	अलंकार alaṅkār	अलंकार alaṅkār
oblique	अलंकार alaṅkār	अलंकारों alaṅkārõ
vocative	अलंकार alaṅkār	अलंकारो alaṅkāro

Related terms

• अलंकृत (alaṅkŕt)

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “अलंकार”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Platts, John T. (1884) “अलंकार”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• अलङ्कार (alaṅkāra)

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• অলংকাৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬅᬮᬂᬓᬵᬭ (Balinese script)
• অলংকার (Bengali script)
• 𑰀𑰩𑰽𑰎𑰯𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀅𑀮𑀁𑀓𑀸𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• အလံကာရ (Burmese script)
• અલંકાર (Gujarati script)
• ਅਲਂਕਾਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌅𑌲𑌂𑌕𑌾𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦄꦭꦁꦏꦴꦫ (Javanese script)
• 𑂃𑂪𑂁𑂍𑂰𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ಅಲಂಕಾರ (Kannada script)
• អលំការ (Khmer script)
• ອລໍກາຣ (Lao script)
• അലംകാര (Malayalam script)
• ᠠᢀ᠋ᠯᠠᡬᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘀𑘩𑘽𑘎𑘰𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᠠ᠋ᢀ᠋ᠯᠠᢉᠠᢗᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦠𑧉𑧞𑦮𑧑𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐀𑐮𑑄𑐎𑐵𑐬 (Newa script)
• ଅଲଂକାର (Odia script)
• ꢂꢭꢀꢒꢵꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆃𑆬𑆁𑆑𑆳𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖀𑖩𑖽𑖎𑖯𑖨 (Siddham script)
• අලංකාර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩐𑩽𑪖𑩜𑩛𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚀𑚥𑚫𑚊𑚭𑚤 (Takri script)
• அலஂகார (Tamil script)
• అలంకార (Telugu script)
• อลํการ (Thai script)
• ཨ་ལཾ་ཀཱ་ར (Tibetan script)
• 𑒁𑒪𑓀𑒏𑒰𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨀𑨬𑨸𑨋𑨊𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From the root अलंकृ (alaṃkṛ), equal to अलम् (alam) +‎ कार (kāra).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɐ.lɐŋ.kɑː.ɾɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɐ.l̪ɐŋ.kɑː.ɾɐ/

Noun

अलंकार • (alaṃkāra) stem, m

1. the act of decorating
2. ornament, decoration
3. (rhetoric) an ornament of the sense or the sound, of which there are 2 types - śabdālaṃkāra(sound) and arthālaṃkāra (sense)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of अलंकार

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	अलंकारः (alaṃkāraḥ)	अलंकारौ (alaṃkārau) अलंकारा¹ (alaṃkārā¹)	अलंकाराः (alaṃkārāḥ) अलंकारासः¹ (alaṃkārāsaḥ¹)
vocative	अलंकार (alaṃkāra)	अलंकारौ (alaṃkārau) अलंकारा¹ (alaṃkārā¹)	अलंकाराः (alaṃkārāḥ) अलंकारासः¹ (alaṃkārāsaḥ¹)
accusative	अलंकारम् (alaṃkāram)	अलंकारौ (alaṃkārau) अलंकारा¹ (alaṃkārā¹)	अलंकारान् (alaṃkārān)
instrumental	अलंकारेण (alaṃkāreṇa)	अलंकाराभ्याम् (alaṃkārābhyām)	अलंकारैः (alaṃkāraiḥ) अलंकारेभिः¹ (alaṃkārebhiḥ¹)
dative	अलंकाराय (alaṃkārāya)	अलंकाराभ्याम् (alaṃkārābhyām)	अलंकारेभ्यः (alaṃkārebhyaḥ)
ablative	अलंकारात् (alaṃkārāt)	अलंकाराभ्याम् (alaṃkārābhyām)	अलंकारेभ्यः (alaṃkārebhyaḥ)
genitive	अलंकारस्य (alaṃkārasya)	अलंकारयोः (alaṃkārayoḥ)	अलंकाराणाम् (alaṃkārāṇām)
locative	अलंकारे (alaṃkāre)	अलंकारयोः (alaṃkārayoḥ)	अलंकारेषु (alaṃkāreṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• अर्थालंकार (arthālaṃkāra)
• आलंकारिक (ālaṃkārika)
• शब्दालंकार (śabdālaṃkāra)

Descendants

• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: अलंकार (alaṅkār)

  Urdu: النکار (alaṅkār)

• → Old Javanese: alaṅkara, alĕṅkara, laṅkara, lĕṅkara
  • Javanese: ꦊꦁꦏꦫ (lengkara, “impossible, improbable”)
  • → Balinese: ᬍᬗ᭄ᬓᬭ (lengkara, “sentence”)
• → Malayalam: അലങ്കാരം (alaṅkāraṁ)
• → Tamil: அலங்காரம் (alaṅkāram)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “अलंकार”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 94.