अल्प

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit अल्प (alpa).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /əlp/, [ɐlp]

Adjective

अल्प • (alp) (indeclinable, Urdu spelling الپ) (formal)

a little (a small amount of)
Synonym: थोड़ा (thoṛā)
short (having little duration)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

অল্প (Assamese script)
ᬅᬮ᭄ᬧ (Balinese script)
অল্প (Bengali script)
𑰀𑰩𑰿𑰢 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀅𑀮𑁆𑀧 (Brahmi script)
အလ္ပ (Burmese script)
અલ્પ (Gujarati script)
ਅਲ੍ਪ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌅𑌲𑍍𑌪 (Grantha script)
ꦄꦭ꧀ꦥ (Javanese script)
𑂃𑂪𑂹𑂣 (Kaithi script)
ಅಲ್ಪ (Kannada script)
អល្ប (Khmer script)
ອລ຺ປ (Lao script)
അല്പ (Malayalam script)
ᠠᠯᢒᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘀𑘩𑘿𑘢 (Modi script)
ᠠᠯᢒᠠ (Mongolian script)
𑦠𑧉𑧠𑧂 (Nandinagari script)
𑐀𑐮𑑂𑐥 (Newa script)
ଅଲ୍ପ (Odia script)
ꢂꢭ꣄ꢦ (Saurashtra script)
𑆃𑆬𑇀𑆥 (Sharada script)
𑖀𑖩𑖿𑖢 (Siddham script)
අල‍්ප (Sinhalese script)
𑩐𑩽 𑪙𑩰 (Soyombo script)
𑚀𑚥𑚶𑚞 (Takri script)
அல்ப (Tamil script)
అల్ప (Telugu script)
อลฺป (Thai script)
ཨ་ལྤ (Tibetan script)
𑒁𑒪𑓂𑒣 (Tirhuta script)
𑨀𑨬𑩇𑨞 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of unclear origin. Attempts to connect the word to Iranian and Greek place names, or with words such as Ancient Greek ἀλᾰπαδνός (alăpadnós, “easily exhausted, feeble”), λᾰπᾰρός (lăpărós, “slack, loose”), Latin lepidus (“pleasant, witty”), or Lithuanian al̃pti (“to become unconscious”) are formally tenuous. Other theories connect the word to अणु (aṇu, “atom, particle”).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɐl.pɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɐl̪.pɐ/

Adjective

अल्प • (álpa) stem (comparative अल्पीयस् or अल्पतर, superlative अल्पिष्ठ)

small, minute, trifling, little
(neut. ablative singular) easily, without trouble

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of अल्प
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	अल्पः (alpaḥ)	अल्पौ (alpau) अल्पा¹ (alpā¹)	अल्पाः (alpāḥ) अल्पासः¹ (alpāsaḥ¹)
vocative	अल्प (alpa)	अल्पौ (alpau) अल्पा¹ (alpā¹)	अल्पाः (alpāḥ) अल्पासः¹ (alpāsaḥ¹)
accusative	अल्पम् (alpam)	अल्पौ (alpau) अल्पा¹ (alpā¹)	अल्पान् (alpān)
instrumental	अल्पेन (alpena)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पैः (alpaiḥ) अल्पेभिः¹ (alpebhiḥ¹)
dative	अल्पाय (alpāya)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पेभ्यः (alpebhyaḥ)
ablative	अल्पात् (alpāt)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पेभ्यः (alpebhyaḥ)
genitive	अल्पस्य (alpasya)	अल्पयोः (alpayoḥ)	अल्पानाम् (alpānām)
locative	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पयोः (alpayoḥ)	अल्पेषु (alpeṣu)

¹Vedic

Feminine ā-stem declension of अल्पा
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	अल्पा (alpā)	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पाः (alpāḥ)
vocative	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पाः (alpāḥ)
accusative	अल्पाम् (alpām)	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पाः (alpāḥ)
instrumental	अल्पया (alpayā) अल्पा¹ (alpā¹)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पाभिः (alpābhiḥ)
dative	अल्पायै (alpāyai)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पाभ्यः (alpābhyaḥ)
ablative	अल्पायाः (alpāyāḥ) अल्पायै² (alpāyai²)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पाभ्यः (alpābhyaḥ)
genitive	अल्पायाः (alpāyāḥ) अल्पायै² (alpāyai²)	अल्पयोः (alpayoḥ)	अल्पानाम् (alpānām)
locative	अल्पायाम् (alpāyām)	अल्पयोः (alpayoḥ)	अल्पासु (alpāsu)

¹Vedic
²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter a-stem declension of अल्प
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	अल्पम् (alpam)	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पानि (alpāni) अल्पा¹ (alpā¹)
vocative	अल्प (alpa)	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पानि (alpāni) अल्पा¹ (alpā¹)
accusative	अल्पम् (alpam)	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पानि (alpāni) अल्पा¹ (alpā¹)
instrumental	अल्पेन (alpena)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पैः (alpaiḥ) अल्पेभिः¹ (alpebhiḥ¹)
dative	अल्पाय (alpāya)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पेभ्यः (alpebhyaḥ)
ablative	अल्पात् (alpāt)	अल्पाभ्याम् (alpābhyām)	अल्पेभ्यः (alpebhyaḥ)
genitive	अल्पस्य (alpasya)	अल्पयोः (alpayoḥ)	अल्पानाम् (alpānām)
locative	अल्पे (alpe)	अल्पयोः (alpayoḥ)	अल्पेषु (alpeṣu)

¹Vedic

Descendants

Early Assamese:
- Assamese: আপা (apa), আপী (api)
→ Early Assamese: অলপ (olopo) (semi-learned)
- Assamese: অলপ (olop)
→ Bengali: অল্প (olpo)
→ Hindi: अल्प (alp)
→ Indonesian: alpa
→ Malay: alpa
Pali: appa
→ Telugu: అల్పము (alpamu)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “अल्प”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 95/2.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 129