धेनु

See also: धन, धनु, धन्, धुनु, धोना, धूना, and धनी

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ধেনু (Assamese script)
• ᬥᬾᬦᬸ (Balinese script)
• ধেনু (Bengali script)
• 𑰠𑰸𑰡𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀥𑁂𑀦𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ဓေနု (Burmese script)
• ધેનુ (Gujarati script)
• ਧੇਨੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌧𑍇𑌨𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦣꦺꦤꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂡𑂵𑂢𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಧೇನು (Kannada script)
• ធេនុ (Khmer script)
• ເຘນຸ (Lao script)
• ധേനു (Malayalam script)
• ᢡᡝᠨᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘠𑘹𑘡𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᢑᠾᠧᠨᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧀𑧚𑧁𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐢𑐾𑐣𑐸 (Newa script)
• ଧେନୁ (Odia script)
• ꢤꢾꢥꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆣𑆼𑆤𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖠𑖸𑖡𑖲 (Siddham script)
• ධෙනු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩮𑩔𑩯𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚜𑚲𑚝𑚰 (Takri script)
• தே⁴நு (Tamil script)
• ధేను (Telugu script)
• เธนุ (Thai script)
• དྷེ་ནུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒡𑒹𑒢𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨜𑨄𑨝𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *dʰa(H)inúš (“milch cow”), a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle, nurse”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬥𐬎 (daēnu).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /dʱɐj.nú/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /d̪ʱeː.n̪u/

Noun

धेनु • (dhenú) stem, f

1. a milk cow or any cow
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.69.4:

     उक्षा मिमाति प्रति यन्ति धेनवो देवस्य देवीरुप यन्ति निष्कृतम् ।

     ukṣā mimāti prati yanti dhenavo devasya devīrupa yanti niṣkṛtam.

     The Bull is bellowing; the Cows are coming near: the Goddesses approach the God's own resting-place.

2. any offering or present to Brahmans instead or in the shape of a cow
3. (figuratively) the earth

Declension

Feminine u-stem declension of धेनु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	धेनुः (dhenúḥ)	धेनू (dhenū́)	धेनवः (dhenávaḥ)
vocative	धेनो (dhéno)	धेनू (dhénū)	धेनवः (dhénavaḥ)
accusative	धेनुम् (dhenúm)	धेनू (dhenū́)	धेनूः (dhenū́ḥ)
instrumental	धेन्वा (dhenvā́)	धेनुभ्याम् (dhenúbhyām)	धेनुभिः (dhenúbhiḥ)
dative	धेनवे (dhenáve) धेन्वै¹ (dhenvaí¹)	धेनुभ्याम् (dhenúbhyām)	धेनुभ्यः (dhenúbhyaḥ)
ablative	धेनोः (dhenóḥ) धेन्वाः¹ (dhenvā́ḥ¹) धेन्वै² (dhenvaí²)	धेनुभ्याम् (dhenúbhyām)	धेनुभ्यः (dhenúbhyaḥ)
genitive	धेनोः (dhenóḥ) धेन्वाः¹ (dhenvā́ḥ¹) धेन्वै² (dhenvaí²)	धेन्वोः (dhenvóḥ)	धेनूनाम् (dhenūnā́m)
locative	धेनौ (dhenaú) धेन्वाम्¹ (dhenvā́m¹)	धेन्वोः (dhenvóḥ)	धेनुषु (dhenúṣu)

• ¹Later Sanskrit
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀥𑁂𑀡𑀼 (dheṇu)
• Pali: dhenu
• → Hindi: धेनु (dhenu)
• ⇒ Telugu: ధేనువు (dhēnuvu)

Adjective

धेनु • (dhenú) stem

1. milch, yielding or giving milk

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “धेनु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 520, column 1.