नना

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ননা (Assamese script)
• ᬦᬦᬵ (Balinese script)
• ননা (Bengali script)
• 𑰡𑰡𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀦𑀦𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• နနာ (Burmese script)
• નના (Gujarati script)
• ਨਨਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌨𑌨𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦤꦤꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂢𑂢𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ನನಾ (Kannada script)
• ននា (Khmer script)
• ນນາ (Lao script)
• നനാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠨᠠᠨᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘡𑘡𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠨᠠᠨᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧁𑧁𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐣𑐣𑐵 (Newa script)
• ନନା (Odia script)
• ꢥꢥꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆤𑆤𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖡𑖡𑖯 (Siddham script)
• නනා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩯𑩯𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚝𑚝𑚭 (Takri script)
• நநா (Tamil script)
• ననా (Telugu script)
• นนา (Thai script)
• ན་ནཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒢𑒢𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨝𑨝𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *nan(n)-eh₂- (“mother; older female relative”), imitative of baby-talk. Compare Albanian nënë (“mother”), Shughni на̄н (nān, “mother”), Serbo-Croatian nána (“mother”), English nanny, Ancient Greek νίννη (nínnē), νάννη (nánnē), Messapic ana, Welsh nain, Persian ننه (nane), Ukrainian неня (nenja), Russian няня (njanja).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /nɐ.nɑ́ː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈn̪ɐ.n̪ɑː/

Noun

नना • (nanā́) stem, f

1. mother, mummy
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.112.3:

     कारुरहं ततो भिषगुपलप्रक्षिणी नना।
     नानाधियोवसूयवो अनु घा इव तस्थिमेन्द्रायेन्दो परि स्रव॥

     kārurahaṃ tato bhiṣagupalaprakṣiṇī nanā.
     nānādhiyovasūyavo anu ghā iva tasthimendrāyendo pari srava.

     I am a poet, my father is a physician and my mother lays corn upon the stones.
     Striving for wealth, with varied plans, we follow our desires like kine. Flow, Indu, flow for Indra's sake.

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of नना (nanā́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	नना nanā́	नने nané	ननाः nanā́ḥ
Vocative	नने náne	नने náne	ननाः nánāḥ
Accusative	ननाम् nanā́m	नने nané	ननाः nanā́ḥ
Instrumental	ननया / नना¹ nanáyā / nanā́¹	ननाभ्याम् nanā́bhyām	ननाभिः nanā́bhiḥ
Dative	ननायै nanā́yai	ननाभ्याम् nanā́bhyām	ननाभ्यः nanā́bhyaḥ
Ablative	ननायाः / ननायै² nanā́yāḥ / nanā́yai²	ननाभ्याम् nanā́bhyām	ननाभ्यः nanā́bhyaḥ
Genitive	ननायाः / ननायै² nanā́yāḥ / nanā́yai²	ननयोः nanáyoḥ	ननानाम् nanā́nām
Locative	ननायाम् nanā́yām	ननयोः nanáyoḥ	ननासु nanā́su
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Khowar: نَن (nan)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “नना”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 526.