एकलउं

Old Gujarati

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit 𑀏𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀮𑀬 (ĕkkalaya), from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀏𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀮𑁆𑀮 (*ekkalla) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-) (compare Sanskrit एकल (ekala)). Cognate with Old Hindi अकेला (akelā), Old Punjabi ਇਕੇਲਾ (ikelā), Old Marathi 𑘊𑘎𑘩 (ekala), 𑘧𑘹𑘎𑘩 (yekala), 𑘧𑘹𑘏𑘩 (yekhala).

Adjective

एकलउं • (ekalaüṃ)

1. alone
   • c. 1450, Nalarāyadavadantīcarita 230:

     सूती सती एकली रानि । सुगंध वीसी सोवण वानि
     अबला मूंकी जातां पाग । किम वूढी तुझ नल नीभाग

     sūtī satī ekalī rāni. sugaṃdha vīsī sovaṇa vāni
     abalā mūṃkī jātāṃ pāga. kima vūḍhī tujha nala nībhāga

     O you luckless Nala, how did you make your feet move when you abandoned that true wife
     sleeping alone in the forest, trusting in you, fragrant, golden coloured, true?

Derived terms

• एकलडउं (ekalaḍaüṃ)

Descendants

• Gojri: ایکْلو (eklo)
• Gujarati: એકલું (ekalũ)
• Malvi: अकेलो (akelo)
• Marwari:

  Devanagari script: एकलौ (eklau), ऐकलौ (aiklau)

  Mahajani script: 𑅓𑅕𑅮𑅒 (eklu), 𑅑𑅕𑅮𑅒 (iklu)

Further reading

• Ernest Bender (1951) “ekalī”, in Nalarāyadavadantīcarita [Adventures of King Nala and Davadantī], Independence Square, Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, page 345, column 2.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “ēkkala”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 121