तरवारि

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

তৰৱাৰি (Assamese script)
ᬢᬭᬯᬵᬭᬶ (Balinese script)
তরবারি (Bengali script)
𑰝𑰨𑰪𑰯𑰨𑰰 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀢𑀭𑀯𑀸𑀭𑀺 (Brahmi script)
တရဝါရိ (Burmese script)
તરવારિ (Gujarati script)
ਤਰਵਾਰਿ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌤𑌰𑌵𑌾𑌰𑌿 (Grantha script)
ꦠꦫꦮꦴꦫꦶ (Javanese script)
𑂞𑂩𑂫𑂰𑂩𑂱 (Kaithi script)
ತರವಾರಿ (Kannada script)
តរវារិ (Khmer script)
ຕຣວາຣິ (Lao script)
തരവാരി (Malayalam script)
ᢠᠠᡵᠠᠸᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡵᡳ (Manchu script)
𑘝𑘨𑘪𑘰𑘨𑘱 (Modi script)
ᢐᠠᠷᠠᠸᠠᢗᠷᠢ (Mongolian script)
𑦽𑧈𑧊𑧑𑧈𑧒 (Nandinagari script)
𑐟𑐬𑐰𑐵𑐬𑐶 (Newa script)
ତରଵାରି (Odia script)
ꢡꢬꢮꢵꢬꢶ (Saurashtra script)
𑆠𑆫𑆮𑆳𑆫𑆴 (Sharada script)
𑖝𑖨𑖪𑖯𑖨𑖰 (Siddham script)
තරවාරි (Sinhalese script)
𑩫𑩼𑩾𑩛𑩼𑩑 (Soyombo script)
𑚙𑚤𑚦𑚭𑚤𑚮 (Takri script)
தரவாரி (Tamil script)
తరవారి (Telugu script)
ตรวาริ (Thai script)
ཏ་ར་ཝཱ་རི (Tibetan script)
𑒞𑒩𑒫𑒰𑒩𑒱 (Tirhuta script)
𑨙𑨫𑨭𑨊𑨫𑨁 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

A Kulturwort of highly obscure origin.

The traditional theory considers the word as a rhotacized and betacized clipping of *तरबालिका (tarabālikā), a corruption of *करबालिका (karabālikā), a voiced variant of करपालिका (karapālikā, “knife, (small) sword”), a diminutive of करपाल (karapāla, “sword, cudgel”), a compound of कर (kara, “hand”) + पाल (pāla, “protector”), literally "hand-protector".

However, the wide range of lemmas in other languages which bear resemblance to the word, as well as its constituent syllables (*तर (tara) and *वारि (vāri)), casts doubt on the above derivation. For *तर (tara), compare Kurukh [script needed] (taṛṛī, “sword”), Ho [script needed] (torai, “id”), Pashto [script needed] (tūra, “id”), and Old Armenian թուր (tʻur, “id”); for *वारि (vāri), compare Tamil வாள் (vāḷ, “id”); and for the compound तरवारि (taravāri), compare Santali [script needed] (tarwaṛe, “id”), Prasuni [script needed] (trāž, “id”), and Kamkata-viri [script needed] (tərwōč, “id”). The -ṛ-, -ž-, and -č- sounds in the latter three lemmas, in particular, are difficult to reconcile with the simple -r- in the Sanskrit term, but would make more sense if borrowed from a Dravidian language.

As a solution, Mayrhofer proposes that the Sanskrit word is an "identity compound" of *तर (tara) and *वारि (vāri), both meaning "sword". *तर (tara) probably derives from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub; to pierce”), while *वारि (vāri) is borrowed from a Dravidian language (compare Proto-Dravidian *wāḷ (“sword”), whence the Tamil term வாள் (vāḷ, “id”) mentioned above). The Kurukh, Ho, and Pashto terms would then be borrowed from Indo-Aryan (perhaps at various chronological stages), with the full borrowings being phonetically influenced by the Dravidian term for sword.

He also takes करवाल (karavāla, “sword, scimitar”) and its relatives (including करवालिका (karavālikā, “id”), as well as possibly करपाल (karapāla, “id”) and करपालिका (karapālikā)), as partial loan translations of Tamil கைவாள் (kaivāḷ, “short sword”), with the similar-sounding and meaning कर (kara, “doer; hand”) substituting for the Dravidian கை (kai, “hand”). If करपाल (karapāla) is indeed related, then the "hand-protector" interpretation and phonetic shift is driven by folk etymology.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /tɐ.ɾɐ.ʋɑː.ɾi/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /t̪ɐ.ɾɐˈʋɑː.ɾi/

Noun

तरवारि • (taravāri) stem, m

sword, scimitar
1. one-edged sword

Declension

Masculine i-stem declension of तरवारि (taravāri)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	तरवारिः taravāriḥ	तरवारी taravārī	तरवारयः taravārayaḥ
Vocative	तरवारे taravāre	तरवारी taravārī	तरवारयः taravārayaḥ
Accusative	तरवारिम् taravārim	तरवारी taravārī	तरवारीन् taravārīn
Instrumental	तरवारिणा / तरवार्या¹ taravāriṇā / taravāryā¹	तरवारिभ्याम् taravāribhyām	तरवारिभिः taravāribhiḥ
Dative	तरवारये taravāraye	तरवारिभ्याम् taravāribhyām	तरवारिभ्यः taravāribhyaḥ
Ablative	तरवारेः / तरवार्यः¹ taravāreḥ / taravāryaḥ¹	तरवारिभ्याम् taravāribhyām	तरवारिभ्यः taravāribhyaḥ
Genitive	तरवारेः / तरवार्यः¹ taravāreḥ / taravāryaḥ¹	तरवार्योः taravāryoḥ	तरवारीणाम् taravārīṇām
Locative	तरवारौ / तरवारा¹ taravārau / taravārā¹	तरवार्योः taravāryoḥ	तरवारिषु taravāriṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

Assamese: তৰোৱাল (torüal)
Bengali: তলোয়ার (tolōẇar), তরোয়াল (torōẇal)
Gujarati: તલવાર (talvār)
Hindi: तलवार (talvār)
Maithili: तरुआरि (taruārɨ), 𑒞𑒩𑒳𑒂𑒩𑒱 (taruāri)
Marathi: तलवार (talvār)
Nepali: तरवार (tarawār)
Odia: ତରୁଆଳ (taruāḷa)
Punjabi: ਤਲਵਾਰ (talvār), تَلْوار (talvār)
Marwari: तरवार (tarvār)
Sindhi: तरारि, تَرارِ

References

Monier Williams (1899) “तरवारि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 438/3.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 237
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 482