गट्टा

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɡəʈ.ʈɑː/, [ɡɐʈ̚.ʈäː]

Etymology 1

बेसन के गट्टे की सब्ज़ी ― besan ke gaṭṭe kī sabzī ― gram flour gattas (sense 1.3) in curry

Etymology tree

Prakrit *𑀕𑀝𑁆𑀝 (*gaṭṭa)?

Hindi गुट्टा (guṭṭā)influ.?

Hindi गट्ठा (gaṭṭhā)influ.?

Hindi गट्टा (gaṭṭā)

Uncertain. Turner claims the term is inherited from Prakrit *𑀕𑀝𑁆𑀝 (*gaṭṭa, “piece”), but only lists sense 3 ("stopper").

The primary sense of "lump" (and perhaps "seed") in the context of food is perhaps related to Prakrit *𑀕𑁄𑀝𑁆𑀝 (*gŏṭṭa, “something round”) (whence गुट्टा (guṭṭā, “lump”), गुटका (guṭkā); see there) and Sanskrit गुड (guḍa, “globe, ball”).

The word has been contaminated by गट्ठा (gaṭṭhā, “bundle, load; wrist or ankle joint; bulbous root; measure of length”) and perhaps also गाँठ (gā̃ṭh, “knot; joint”); both of these derive from the root Sanskrit ग्रन्थ् (granth, “to tie”).

Cognates for each sense

• (lump): Cognate with Marwari गटौ (gaṭau, “callus; ball of flour; knot, joint; stopper”), Sindhi ڳَڙيِ (ɠaṛī, “lump of sugar etc.; bulb of an onion”), and perhaps Telugu గడ్డ (gaḍḍa, “lump; bulbous root”), Kannada ಗಡ್ಡೆ (gaḍḍe, “lump, bulbous root”), Marathi गड्डा (gaḍḍā, “bulb of an onion; mass or lump”) (a Dravidian loan). Also compare Prakrit 𑀕𑀼𑀝𑁆𑀞 (guṭṭha, “clump, lump”) (whence गुठली (guṭhlī, “pit; lump”), and perhaps Saraiki گُٹّھِی (guṭṭhī, “wrist”)).
• (bundle; joint; bulb): गाँठ (gā̃ṭh, “knot, joint”) is cognate with Punjabi ਗੰਢਾ (gaṇḍhā, “onion”) and Sindhi ڳنڍ (g̠aṇḍhi, “bulb of an onion; knot”), which show similar semantic range.
• (stopper): Cognate with Marwari गटौ (gaṭau), Punjabi ਗੱਟ (gaṭṭa, “stopper, cork”), Nepali गट्टा (gaṭṭā, “shell of a coconut used as a water-vessel in hookah; lotus seed”).

Noun

गट्टा • (gaṭṭā) m (Urdu spelling گَٹَّا)

1. lump
   1. callus, hard lump on the feet or hands

      गट्टे पड़ना ― gaṭṭe paṛnā ― to get a callus

      • 2001, प्रभा खेतान, पीली आंधी, नई दिल्ली: राजकमल प्रकाशन प्रा. लि., page 87:

        उनके पावों में गट्टा पड़ गए थे, एड़ियां सूज गई थी, वे रातों को पैर के तलुओं में कडुआ तेल का चोपा देते और पुवाल बिछी दरी पर पड़कर सो जाते।

        unke pāvõ mẽ gaṭṭā paṛ gae the, eṛiyā̃ sūj gaī thī, ve rātõ ko pair ke taluõ mẽ kaḍuā tel kā copā dete aur puvāl bichī darī par paṛkara so jāte.

        He had gotten calluses on his feet, his ankles had swollen, at night he would massage his soles and then lie down on a straw-covered mat and sleep.

   2. (especially Kannauj) gatta (a lump of melted sugar, eaten as a sweet)
      • 2023 November 22, Preeti Mishra, “Kalawati Ka Gatta: सिर्फ इत्र के लिए ही नहीं गट्टों के लिए भी प्रसिद्ध है कन्नोज, आइये इस दुकान पर”, in Newstrack‎^[1]:

        गट्टा मुख्यतः चीनी से ही बनता है। इसको बनाने के लिए चीनी के अलावा दूध एक और प्रमुख सामग्री है।

        gaṭṭā mukhyataḥ cīnī se hī bantā hai. isko banāne ke lie cīnī ke alāvā dūdh ek aur pramukh sāmagrī hai.

        Gatta is primarily made from sugar. To make it, besides sugar, milk is another important ingredient.

   3. (especially Rajasthan) gatta (a ball of gram flour or other grain, many of which are prepared in a gravy and eaten as a savoury dish)

      गट्टे की सब्ज़ी ― gaṭṭe kī sabzī ― gatta (as a collective dish)

      • 1991, जे. इन्दर सिंह कालरा, प्रसाद: भारत की पाक कला विशेषज्ञों के साथ‎^[2], मुंबई: ऍलाइड पब्लिशर्स प्राइवेट लिमिटेड, page 131:

        बेसन के गट्टे या बेसन की पकौड़ियों की तरकारी जीरा और हींग युक्त तीखे शोरबे में पकाई जाती है।

        besan ke gaṭṭe yā besan kī pakauṛiyõ kī tarkārī jīrā aur hīṅg yukt tīkhe śorbe mẽ pakāī jātī hai.

        The dish for gram flour gattas or gram flour dumplings is cooked in a spicy stew of cumin and asafoetida.

2. seed, a corn (only of certain plants)

   Hypernym: बीज (bīj, “seed”)

   कमल गट्टा ― kamal gaṭṭā ― lotus seed

   • 2004, भाषा-रश्मि: 7‎^[3], इन्द्रजीत शर्मा, स्कॉलर पब्लिशिंग हाउस, page 17:

     ये बीज नहाने के फुहारे जैसे आकार वाली फलियों के अलग-अलग खानों में अर्थात् बीजकोषों में होते हैं, जिसे ‘कमल गट्टा’ कहा जाता है।

     ye bīj nahāne ke phuhāre jaise ākār vālī phaliyõ ke alag-alag khānõ mẽ arthāt bījkoṣõ mẽ hote ha͠i, jise ‘kamal gaṭṭā’ kahā jātā hai.

     These seeds, which are called lotus seeds, are found in the separate compartments of showerhead-shaped pods, i.e. in the seed pods.

3. stopper, plug, seal
   • 1966, राही मसूम रज़ा, आधा गाँव‎^[4], नई दिल्ली: राजकमल प्रकाशन प्रा. लि., page 259:

     फ़िद्दू ने तजा किया हुआ हुक़्क़ा लगा दिया। फुन्नन मियाँ बैठ गये। जवाद मियाँ ने हुक़्क़े का गट्टा दबाया। फुन्नन मियाँ ने पहला कश लिया।

     fiddū ne tajā kiyā huā huqqā lagā diyā. phunnan miyā̃ baiṭh gaye. javād miyā̃ ne huqqe kā gaṭṭā dabāyā. phunnan miyā̃ ne pahlā kaś liyā.

     Fiddu turned on the freshly prepared hookah. Mr. Phunnan sat down. Mr. Javad pressed the stopper of the hookah. Mr. Phunnan took the first hit.

4. wedge, small sphere or block of wood (for tuning a tabla)

   Synonyms: गुटका (guṭkā), गट्टक (gaṭṭak)

   • 2024, नन्दना भार्गव, तबला एवं पखावज‎^[5], volume 2: ताल वंदन, Blue Rose Publishers, page 43:

     दाहिने तबले को अधिक उतारने - चढ़ाने के लिये गट्टे को और कम उतारने - चढ़ाने के लिये गजरे को हथौड़ी से आघात करते हैं।

     dāhine table ko adhik utārne - caṛhāne ke liye gaṭṭe ko aur kam utārne - caṛhāne ke liye gajre ko hathauṛī se āghāt karte ha͠i.

     To remove/raise the right tabla more we hit the wedge with a small hammer, and to remove/raise the right tabla less with the brace [we do the same].

5. Alternative form of गट्ठा (gaṭṭhā)
   1. bundle, load, sheaf
      • 2004, महेश शर्मा, editor, बच्चों के जोक्स‎^[6], नई दिल्ली: बाल साहित्य शोध संस्थान, page 149:

        बादशाह से विदा लेकर बाहर आए तो देखा कि रास्ते में लकड़ी बेचने वाले एक वृद्ध ने परिश्रम करके लकड़ी का गट्टा एकत्र किया था […]

        bādśāh se vidā lekar bāhar āe to dekhā ki rāste mẽ lakṛī becne vāle ek vŕddh ne pariśram karke lakṛī kā gaṭṭā ekatra kiyā thā […]

        Having taken leave of the emperor, when he came out he saw on the way that an aged wood-seller had labouriously gathered a bundle of wood […]

   2. wrist or ankle joint

      गट्टा पकड़ना ― gaṭṭā pakaṛnā ― to force, make someone do something using force (literally, “to grab one's wrist”)

      • 2024 July 24, Deepak Sinha, “'Hemant Soren को गट्टा पकड़कर कुर्सी से उतारेंगे', BJP विधायक के बयान पर बिफरी JMM; SC/ST एक्ट में केस दर्ज”, in Mohit Tripathi, editor, जागरण‎^[7]:

        झामुमो कार्यकर्ता ने आरोप लगाया कि भानुप्रताप ने हेमंत सोरेन को आदिवासी होने के कारण अपने संबोधन में गट्टा पकड़कर कुर्सी से उतारने की बात कहते हुए अपने कार्यकर्ताओं से भी बार-बार हामी भरवाई।

        jhāmumo kāryakartā ne ārop lagāyā ki bhānupratāp ne hemant soren ko ādivāsī hone ke kāraṇ apne sambodhan mẽ gaṭṭā pakaṛkar kursī se utārne kī bāt kahte hue apne kāryakartāõ se bhī bār-bār hāmī bharvāī.

        The JMM worker made the accusation that Bhanupratap in his speech said that Hemant Soren should be removed from his position by forcibly grabbing his wrists, and he repeatedly made his workers agree with this statement.

   3. bulb (e.g. of an onion)

      Synonyms: कंद (kand), कंदा (kandā)

      • 1978, आकाशवाणी‎^[8], volume 43, number 11, New Delhi: All India Radio, page 74:

        टमाटर की चटनी बनाने के लिये 1 किलो टमाटर, दो छोटे गट्टे प्याज, एक छोटा सा टुकड़ा अदरक […]

        ṭamāṭar kī caṭnī banāne ke liye 1 kilo ṭamāṭar, do choṭe gaṭṭe pyāj, ek choṭā sā ṭukṛā adrak […]

        To make tomato chutney, [you need] 1 kilogram of tomato, two small bulbs of onion, one small piece of ginger […]

Declension

Declension of गट्टा (masc ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	गट्टा gaṭṭā	गट्टे gaṭṭe
oblique	गट्टे gaṭṭe	गट्टों gaṭṭõ
vocative	गट्टे gaṭṭe	गट्टो gaṭṭo

Alternative forms

• घट्टा (ghaṭṭā, “callus”)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Prakrit *𑀕𑀸𑀝𑁆𑀝 (*gāṭṭa)

Hindi गट्टा (gaṭṭā)

Inherited from Prakrit *𑀕𑀸𑀝𑁆𑀝 (*gāṭṭa), but the short vowel in this and some cognates is unexplained. Cognate with Punjabi ਗਾਟਾ (gāṭā, “short”), Marathi गट्ट (gaṭṭa), गड्ड (gaḍḍa), गट्टू (gaṭṭū, “short and stout”), Nepali गाण्टो (gāṇṭo, “dwarf”), Bengali গাট্টা-গোট্টা (gaṭṭa-gōṭṭa, “short”), perhaps Assamese গাঁঠলু (gãtholu, “short and stout”), Marwari गांठ्यो (gā̃ṭhyo, “a short man”).

Adjective

गट्टा • (gaṭṭā) (Urdu spelling گَٹَّا)

1. short, dwarf, stunted

   Synonyms: बौना (baunā), नाटा (nāṭā)

   • 2010 [1943], R. K. Narayan, translated by महेंद्र कुलश्रेष्ठ, मालगुडी की कहानियां‎^[9], translation of Malgudi Days, page 42:

     मुसाफिर पूरे नौ इंच उनसे कद में ऊँचा था। उसके सामने वे बहुत गट्टे और मोटे थे […]

     musāphir pūre nau iñc unse kad mẽ ū̃cā thā. uske sāmne ve bahut gaṭṭe aur moṭe the […]

     The traveller was fully nine inches taller than him. In front of him, he appeared very short and fat […]

Declension

Declension of गट्टा (ā-stem)

	masculine		feminine
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	गट्टा gaṭṭā	गट्टे gaṭṭe	गट्टी gaṭṭī	गट्टी gaṭṭī
oblique	गट्टे gaṭṭe	गट्टे gaṭṭe	गट्टी gaṭṭī	गट्टी gaṭṭī
vocative	गट्टे gaṭṭe	गट्टे gaṭṭe	गट्टी gaṭṭī	गट्टी gaṭṭī

Alternative forms

• गुट्टा (guṭṭā), गिट्टा (giṭṭā)

Further reading

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “गट्टा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 251
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “गट्टा”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 167
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “गट्टा”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 1212
• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “गट्टा”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 141.
• Platts, John T. (1884) “گٿا”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 896