मृद्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মৃদ্ (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬺᬤ᭄ (Balinese script)
• মৃদ্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰴𑰟𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀾𑀤𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• မၖဒ် (Burmese script)
• મૃદ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਮ੍ਰਦ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑍃𑌦𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦽꦢ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑃂𑂠𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಮೃದ್ (Kannada script)
• ម្ឫទ៑ (Khmer script)
• ມ຺ຣິທ຺ (Lao script)
• മൃദ് (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᡵᡳᡩ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘵𑘟𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠷᠢᢑ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧖𑦿𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐺𑐡𑑂 (Newa script)
• ମୃଦ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢺꢣ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆸𑆢𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖴𑖟𑖿 (Siddham script)
• මෘද් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑩙𑩭 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚛𑚶 (Takri script)
• ம்ரித்³ (Tamil script)
• మృద్ (Telugu script)
• มฺฤทฺ (Thai script)
• མྲྀ་ད྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒵𑒠𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨼𑨉𑨛𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mŕ̩d/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /mr̩d̪/

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mr̩d/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /mr̩d̪/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *mŕ̥ts, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *mŕ̥ts, from Proto-Indo-European *mĺ̥dʰ-s. Cognate with मृदु (mṛdu, “soft, weak”) Ancient Greek μάλθη (málthē), Old English molde (whence English mold).

Noun

मृद् • (mṛ́d) stem, f

1. earth, soil, clay, loam
2. a piece of earth, lump of clay
3. a kind of fragrant earth
4. aluminous slate

Declension

Feminine root-stem declension of मृद् (mṛ́d)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मृत् mṛ́t	मृदौ / मृदा¹ mṛ́dau / mṛ́dā¹	मृदः mṛ́daḥ
Vocative	मृत् mṛ́t	मृदौ / मृदा¹ mṛ́dau / mṛ́dā¹	मृदः mṛ́daḥ
Accusative	मृदम् mṛ́dam	मृदौ / मृदा¹ mṛ́dau / mṛ́dā¹	मृदः mṛ́daḥ
Instrumental	मृदा mṛdā́	मृद्भ्याम् mṛdbhyā́m	मृद्भिः mṛdbhíḥ
Dative	मृदे mṛdé	मृद्भ्याम् mṛdbhyā́m	मृद्भ्यः mṛdbhyáḥ
Ablative	मृदः mṛdáḥ	मृद्भ्याम् mṛdbhyā́m	मृद्भ्यः mṛdbhyáḥ
Genitive	मृदः mṛdáḥ	मृदोः mṛdóḥ	मृदाम् mṛdā́m
Locative	मृदि mṛdí	मृदोः mṛdóḥ	मृत्सु mṛtsú
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• → Tamil: மிருதை (mirutai)

Etymology 2

From a conflation of two roots, Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to hurt, sting”) (represented by मर्द् (mard, “to crush”)) and *mled-, *(s)meld- (“to be soft, melt”) (represented by म्रद् (mrad, “to be weak, soft”)). The two roots became confused within Indo-Aryan early on during the Vedic era. Examples for each root include मर्दति (mardati) for the former, and विम्रद् (vimrad, “to soften”) and perhaps मृदु (mṛdu) for the latter.

Alternative forms

• मर्द् (mard, “to crush”), म्रद् (mrad, “to be soft”)

Root

मृद् • (mṛd)

1. to press, squeeze, crush, smash, trample down, tread upon,
2. to destroy, kill, waste, ravage, kill, slay
3. to rub, stroke, wipe (e.g. the forehead)
4. to rub into, mingle with
5. to rub against, touch, pass through (a constellation)
6. to overcome, surpass

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms belonging to the root मृद् (0 c, 3 e)

Terms derived from the Sanskrit root मृद् (1 c, 0 e)

Primary Verbal Forms

• मृद्नाति (mṛdnāti, Present)
• मर्दति (mardati, Present)
• मर्दिष्यति (mardiṣyati, Future)
• अमर्दीत् (amardīt, Aorist)
• मृद्यात् (mṛdyāt, Benedictive)
• ममर्द (mamarda, Perfect)

Secondary Forms

• मृद्यते (mṛdyáte, Passive)
• मर्दयति (mardayati, Causative)
• अमीमृदत् (amīmṛdat, Causative Aorist)
• अममर्दत् (amamardat, Causative Aorist)
• मर्द्यते (mardyate, Passive of Causative)
• मिमर्दिषति (mimardiṣati, Desiderative)
• मर्मर्त्ति (marmartti, Intensive)
• मरीमर्त्ति (marīmartti, Intensive)
• मरीमृद्यते (marīmṛdyate, Intensive)

Non-Finite Forms

• मृदित (mṛditá, Past Participle)
• मर्दितुम् (marditum, Infinitive)
• मर्दितोस् (marditos, Infinitive)
• म्रदे (mradé, Infinitive)
• मृदित्वा (mṛditvā, Gerund)
• मृद्य (mṛ́dya, Gerund)
• मर्द्य (mardya, Gerundive)
• मर्दनीय (mardanīya, Gerundive)
• मर्दितव्य (marditavya, Gerundive)
• मिमर्दिषु (mimardiṣu, Desiderative Participle)
• मिमर्दयिषु (mimardayiṣu, Desiderative Participle of Causative)

Derived Nominal Forms

• मर्द (marda)
• मर्दक (mardaka)
• मर्दन (márdana)
• मर्दितृ (marditṛ)
• मर्दिन् (mardin)
• मृदु (mṛdú)
• म्रदस् (mradas)

Prefixed Root Forms

• प्रमृद् (pramṛd)
• विमृद् (vimṛd)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “मृद्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 830, columns 1-2.
• William Dwight Whitney, 1885, The Roots, Verb-forms, and Primary Derivatives of the Sanskrit Language, Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, page 126
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “मृद्”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press
• Otto Böhtlingk, Richard Schmidt (1879-1928) “मृद्”, in Walter Slaje, Jürgen Hanneder, Paul Molitor, Jörg Ritter, editors, Nachtragswörterbuch des Sanskrit [Dictionary of Sanskrit with supplements] (in German), Halle-Wittenberg: Martin-Luther-Universität, published 2016
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “mṛd”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 328; 372; 386-7
• Mallory, J. P. with Adams, D. Q. (2006) The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World (Oxford Linguistics), New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 373
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 735