क्षम्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ক্ষম্ (Assamese script)
• ᬓ᭄ᬱᬫ᭄ (Balinese script)
• ক্ষম্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰦𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀫𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• က္ၑမ် (Burmese script)
• ક્ષમ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਕ੍ਸ਼ਮ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌮𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦏ꧀ꦰꦩ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂧𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಕ್ಷಮ್ (Kannada script)
• ក្ឞម៑ (Khmer script)
• ກ຺ຩມ຺ (Lao script)
• ക്ഷമ് (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᢢᠠᠮ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘦𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᢉᢔᠠᠮ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮𑧠𑧌𑧆𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐩𑑂 (Newa script)
• କ୍ଷମ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢒ꣄ꢰꢪ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆩𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖦𑖿 (Siddham script)
• ක්‍ෂම් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑩴 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊𑚶𑚢𑚶 (Takri script)
• க்ஷம் (Tamil script)
• క్షమ్ (Telugu script)
• กฺษมฺ (Thai script)
• ཀྵ་མ྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒧𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨢𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *ḍẓʰáHs, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰžʰáHs, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰǵʰḿ̥h₂s (“earth”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬨 (zam), Latin humus, the source of English human; Ancient Greek χθών (khthṓn), Persian زمین (zamin), Russian земля (zemlja).

Alternative forms

• क्षा (kṣā́)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kʂɐ́m/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kʂɐm/

Noun

क्षम् • (kṣám) stem, f

1. ground, earth

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:भू

   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 8.46.6:

     कृ॒ष्णा रजां॑सि पत्सु॒तः प्र॒याणे॑ जा॒तवे॑दसः ।
     अ॒ग्निर्यद्रोध॑ति॒ क्षमि॑ ॥

     kṛṣṇā́ rájāṃsi patsutáḥ prayā́ṇe jātávedasaḥ.
     agníryádródhati kṣámi.

     As Jātavedas speeds along, the dust is black beneath his feet,
     When Agni spreads upon the earth.

Declension

Irregular declension of क्षम् (kṣám)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	क्षाः (kṣā́ḥ)	क्षामा (kṣā́mā)	क्षामः (kṣāmaḥ)/क्षाः (kṣā́ḥ)
Accusative	क्षाम् (kṣā́m)	क्षामा (kṣā́mā)	क्षाः (kṣā́ḥ)
Instrumental	ज्मा (jmā́)	-	-
Dative	क्षे (kṣe)	-	-
Ablative	ग्मः (gmáḥ)/ज्मः (jmáḥ)/क्ष्मः (kṣmáḥ)	-	-
Genitive	ग्मः (gmáḥ)/ज्मः (jmáḥ)/क्ष्मः (kṣmáḥ)	-	-
Locative	क्षमि (kṣámi)	-	क्षासु (kṣā́su)

Derived terms

• क्षमा (kṣamā́, “on the earth”, adverb)
• क्षमा (kṣamā, “earth”)
• क्षम्य (kṣámya, “being in the earth”)

Related terms

• क्षामन् n (kṣā́man, “earth”)
• क्ष्मा (kṣmā, “earth”)
• क्षपावत् (kṣápāvat or kṣapā́vat, “earth-protector”)

Descendants

• Kalasha: čhom
• → Telugu: క్షమ (kṣama)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšamH- (“to bear, to endure”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰse-mH, metathesized form of *segʷʰ- (“to be strong”) (which is likely not related to *seǵʰ- (“to hold, overpower”), despite similarities in form and meaning), whence also सघ्नोति (saghnóti) and possibly Ancient Greek σθένος (sthénos). Cognate with Avestan 𐬑𐬴𐬄𐬥𐬨𐬇𐬥𐬉 (xṣ̌ąnmə̄nē, “to be contented, to resign oneself to”). Also related to Pashto زغمل (zğëmël, “to endure, to tolerate, to go through”), which is from a Proto-Indo-Iranian *zgʰamH- which did not undergo metathesis.

Root

क्षम् • (kṣam)

1. to submit; endure, suffer
2. pardon, forgive
3. resist

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms belonging to the root क्षम् (0 c, 4 e)

Terms derived from the Sanskrit root क्षम् (5 c, 0 e)

Primary Verbal Forms

• क्षमते (kṣámate, Present)
• क्षमति (kṣamati, Present)
• क्षम्यते (kṣamyate, Present)
• क्षाम्यति (kṣāmyati, Present)
• क्षंस्यति (kṣaṃsyati, Future)
• क्षमिष्यति (kṣamiṣyati, Future)
• अक्षमिष्ट (akṣamiṣṭa, Aorist)
• अक्षंस्त (akṣaṃsta, Aorist)
• चक्षमे (cakṣame, Perfect)

Secondary Forms

• क्षम्यते (kṣamyate, Passive)
• क्षमयति (kṣamayati, Causative)
• क्षामयते (kṣāmayate, Causative)
• क्षमापयति (kṣamāpayati, Causative)

Non-Finite Forms

• क्षान्त (kṣānta, Past Participle)
• क्षमित (kṣamita, Past Participle)
• क्षन्तुम् (kṣantum, Infinitive)
• क्षान्त्वा (kṣāntvā, Gerund)
• क्षम्य (kṣamya, Gerund)
• क्षाम्य (kṣāmya, Gerundive)
• क्षन्तव्य (kṣantavya, Gerundive)
• क्षमितव्य (kṣamitavya, Gerundive)
• क्षमणीय (kṣamaṇīya, Gerundive)

Derived Nominal Forms

• क्षन्तृ (kṣantṛ)
• क्षम (kṣamá)
• क्षमा (kṣamā)
• क्षान्ति (kṣānti)

Prefixed Root Forms

• संक्षम् (saṃkṣam)

Descendants

• → Chinese: 懺 / 忏 (chàn)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “क्षम्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 326, column 2.
• William Dwight Whitney, 1885, The Roots, Verb-forms, and Primary Derivatives of the Sanskrit Language, Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, page 28
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “kṣam”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.