पुनर्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

পুনৰ্ (Assamese script)
ᬧᬸᬦᬃ (Balinese script)
পুনর্ (Bengali script)
𑰢𑰲𑰡𑰨𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀧𑀼𑀦𑀭𑁆 (Brahmi script)
ပုနရ် (Burmese script)
પુનર્ (Gujarati script)
ਪੁਨਰ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌪𑍁𑌨𑌰𑍍 (Grantha script)
ꦥꦸꦤꦂ (Javanese script)
𑂣𑂳𑂢𑂩𑂹 (Kaithi script)
ಪುನರ್ (Kannada script)
បុនរ៑ (Khmer script)
ປຸນຣ຺ (Lao script)
പുനര് (Malayalam script)
ᢒᡠᠨᠠᡵ (Manchu script)
𑘢𑘳𑘡𑘨𑘿 (Modi script)
ᢒᠤᠨᠠᠷ (Mongolian script)
𑧂𑧔𑧁𑧈𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
𑐥𑐸𑐣𑐬𑑂 (Newa script)
ପୁନର୍ (Odia script)
ꢦꢸꢥꢬ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
𑆥𑆶𑆤𑆫𑇀 (Sharada script)
𑖢𑖲𑖡𑖨𑖿 (Siddham script)
පුනර් (Sinhalese script)
𑩰𑩒𑩯𑩼 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
𑚞𑚰𑚝𑚤𑚶 (Takri script)
புநர் (Tamil script)
పునర్ (Telugu script)
ปุนรฺ (Thai script)
པུ་ན་ར྄ (Tibetan script)
𑒣𑒳𑒢𑒩𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
𑨞𑨃𑨝𑨫𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.

The word stands out as having no clear phonetic or semantic connections to other words within Sanskrit or other Indo-Iranian and Indo-European languages. However, the word structure does not suggest either a Dravidian or Munda origin, and the word's Vedic attestation makes an autochthonous substrate origin even less likely. The Proto-Indo-Aryan form is not even certain, as the u could have originally been an a, which was backed into a u after the labial p, in addition to the word possibly undergoing dissimilation, metathesis, and other sound changes throughout its history.

Mayrhofer's preferred theory is to derive the word from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“off, away”), and compares Ancient Greek πύματος (púmatos, “last, nethermost”) and German von (“from”). However, as he suggests, the semantic evidence is neither convincing nor unconvincing, due to the very basic meaning of the Proto-Indo-European word, and the potential phantom phonetic shifts noted above make analysis problematic.

Another theory connects the word to Ancient Greek πᾰ́λῐν (pắlĭn, “back, again”), which would make the word a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to revolve”). This is an exact semantic match, but the phonetics are difficult to resolve. However, due to the murky phonetic history of the word, this derivation still remains in discussion.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /pú.nɐɾ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈpu.n̪ɐɾ/

Adverb

पुनर् • (púnar)

back, to home
पुनर् गच्छति ― punar gacchati ― he goes back

पुनर् ददामि ― punar dadāmi ― I restore, give back
again, once more
पुनर् भवति ― punar bhavati ― she is reborn, married again
repeatedly
moreover, furthermore
however, still

References

Monier Williams (1899) “पुनर्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 633/2.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 143
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 305-6