क्षीर

See also: क्षौर, क्षुरी, क्षौरी, and क्षार

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ক্ষীৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬓ᭄ᬱᬷᬭ (Balinese script)
• ক্ষীর (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰱𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀻𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• က္ၑီရ (Burmese script)
• ક્ષીર (Gujarati script)
• ਕ੍ਸ਼ੀਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕𑍍𑌷𑍀𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦏ꧀ꦰꦷꦫ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂲𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ಕ್ಷೀರ (Kannada script)
• ក្ឞីរ (Khmer script)
• ກ຺ຩີຣ (Lao script)
• ക്ഷീര (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᢢᡳᡳᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘲𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᢉᢔᠢᠢᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮𑧠𑧌𑧓𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐷𑐬 (Newa script)
• କ୍ଷୀର (Odia script)
• ꢒ꣄ꢰꢷꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆵𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖱𑖨 (Siddham script)
• ක්‍ෂීර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑩑𑩛𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊𑚶𑚯𑚤 (Takri script)
• க்ஷீர (Tamil script)
• క్షీర (Telugu script)
• กฺษีร (Thai script)
• ཀྵཱི་ར (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒲𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨁𑨊𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšiHrám

Sanskrit क्षीर (kṣīra)

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšiHrám (“milk”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬑𐬱𐬎𐬎𐬌𐬛- (xšuuid-), Northern Kurdish şîr, Persian شیر (šir), Zazaki şıd, şıt. Originally thought to be from Proto-Indo-European *swēyd- (“milk”), but Lubotsky claims a borrowing from the BMAC substrate.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kʂiː.ɾɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kʂiː.ɾɐ/

Noun

क्षीर • (kṣīrá) stem, n

1. milk, thickened milk

   Synonyms: दुग्ध (dugdhá), पयस् (payas)

   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.67.32:

     पावमानीर्यो अध्येत्यृषिभिः सम्भृतं रसम् ।
     तस्मै सरस्वती दुहे क्षीरं सर्पिर्मधूदकम् ॥

     pāvamānīryo adhyetyṛṣibhiḥ sambhṛtaṃ rasam.
     tasmai sarasvatī duhe kṣīraṃ sarpirmadhūdakam.

     Whoever reads the essence stored by saints, the Pavamani hymns,
     Sarasvatī draws forth for him water and butter, milk and meath.

   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda
2. the milky juice or sap of plants

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of क्षीर

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	क्षीरम् (kṣīrám)	क्षीरे (kṣīré)	क्षीराणि (kṣīrā́ṇi) क्षीरा¹ (kṣīrā́¹)
vocative	क्षीर (kṣī́ra)	क्षीरे (kṣī́re)	क्षीराणि (kṣī́rāṇi) क्षीरा¹ (kṣī́rā¹)
accusative	क्षीरम् (kṣīrám)	क्षीरे (kṣīré)	क्षीराणि (kṣīrā́ṇi) क्षीरा¹ (kṣīrā́¹)
instrumental	क्षीरेण (kṣīréṇa)	क्षीराभ्याम् (kṣīrā́bhyām)	क्षीरैः (kṣīraíḥ) क्षीरेभिः¹ (kṣīrébhiḥ¹)
dative	क्षीराय (kṣīrā́ya)	क्षीराभ्याम् (kṣīrā́bhyām)	क्षीरेभ्यः (kṣīrébhyaḥ)
ablative	क्षीरात् (kṣīrā́t)	क्षीराभ्याम् (kṣīrā́bhyām)	क्षीरेभ्यः (kṣīrébhyaḥ)
genitive	क्षीरस्य (kṣīrásya)	क्षीरयोः (kṣīráyoḥ)	क्षीराणाम् (kṣīrā́ṇām)
locative	क्षीरे (kṣīré)	क्षीरयोः (kṣīráyoḥ)	क्षीरेषु (kṣīréṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• क्षीरद (kṣīrada)
• क्षीरान्न (kṣīrānna)
• क्षीराब्धि (kṣīrābdhi)
• गोक्षीर (gokṣīra)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Dameli: [script needed] (c̣hīr)
  • Gawar-Bati: [script needed] (c̣hir)
  • Kalami: [script needed] (c̣hīr, “milk, udder”)
  • Kalasha: č̣hir
  • Khowar: ݯھیر (c̣hír)
  • Phalura: ڇھیر (c̣hīr)
  • Savi: [script needed] (c̣hir)
  • Shumashti: [script needed] (c̣hīr)
  • Torwali: ڇھی (c̣hī)
• Southern:
  • Helu Prakrit: 𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀺 (kiri)
    • Dhivehi: ކިރު (kiru)
    • Sinhalese: කිරි (kiri)
  • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀔𑀻𑀭 (khīra)
    • Marathi: खीर (khīr), शिरें (śirẽ, “caudle for puerperal women of coconut milk”)
• Northern:
  • Khasa Prakrit:
    • Nepali: खीर (khīra)
• Eastern:
  • Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀔𑀻𑀭 (khīra)
    • Assamese: খীৰ (khir)
    • Bengali: ক্ষীর (khir), খীর (khir)
    • Odia: ଖିରି (khiri), ଖିର (khira, “milk, juice from trees”), ଖିରା (khirā, “inspissated milk”)
    • Sylheti: ꠈꠤꠞ (kír)
• Western:
  • Paisaci Prakrit:
    • Punjabi: ਖੀਰ (khīr)
      • Lahnda: کھِیر (khīr)
    • Sindhi:

      Arabic script: کِيرُ

      Devanagari script: खीरु

• Pali: khīra
• Central:
  • Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀔𑀻𑀭 (khīra)
    • Domaaki: [script needed] (c̣hīr)
    • Gujarati: ખીરું (khīrũ)
    • Hindustani:

      Hindi: खीर (khīr)

      Urdu: کھیر (khīr)

      • → English: kheer
    • >? Romani: khil
• → Proto-Nuristani:
  • Waigali: [script needed] (c̣hīr, “sour milk”)
• → Telugu: క్షీరము (kṣīramu) (learned)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “क्षीर”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 329/3.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 433