मेण्ढ

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• मेण्ड (meṇḍa), मिण्ढ (miṇḍha), मेठ (meṭha), मेण्ढ्र (meṇḍhra), मेढ्र (meḍhra), मेठ (meṭha)

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মেণ্ঢ (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬾᬡ᭄ᬠ (Balinese script)
• মেণ্ঢ (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰸𑰜𑰿𑰛 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑁂𑀡𑁆𑀠 (Brahmi script)
• မေဏ္ဎ (Burmese script)
• મેણ્ઢ (Gujarati script)
• ਮੇਣ੍ਢ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑍇𑌣𑍍𑌢 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦺꦟ꧀ꦞ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂵𑂝𑂹𑂛 (Kaithi script)
• ಮೇಣ್ಢ (Kannada script)
• មេណ្ឍ (Khmer script)
• ເມຓ຺ຒ (Lao script)
• മേണ്ഢ (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᡝᢏᢟᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘹𑘜𑘿𑘛 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠧᢏᢎᠾᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧚𑦼𑧠𑦻 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐾𑐞𑑂𑐝 (Newa script)
• ମେଣ୍ଢ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢾꢠ꣄ꢟ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆼𑆟𑇀𑆞 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖸𑖜𑖿𑖛 (Siddham script)
• මෙණ‍්ඪ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑩔𑩪 𑪙𑩩 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚲𑚘𑚶𑚗 (Takri script)
• மேண்ட⁴ (Tamil script)
• మేణ్ఢ (Telugu script)
• เมณฺฒ (Thai script)
• མེ་ཎྜྷ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒹𑒝𑓂𑒜 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨄𑨘𑩇𑨗 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *moysós

Proto-Indo-Iranian *mayšás

Sanskrit मे॒ष (meṣá)?

Sanskrit मेण्ढ (meṇḍha)

Unknown. Given the vast phonological variation and lack of usage in texts, probably borrowed from substrate. Related to भेड्र (bheḍra, “ram”), perhaps via the regular mh ~ bh alternation.

Perhaps derived from मे॒ष (meṣá, “ram, sheep”), which is of Indo-European origin. A form like meṣ-ṭra undergoing Prakritisation could explain this term, but the exact suffix here is unclear.

Per Kuiper, borrowed from Munda. Kuiper suggests a relationship to Pali meṇḍ (“crookedness”, root) and similar New Indo-Aryan terms referring to curved horns of animals. These he traces to Munda terms including Mundari [script needed] (meṇḍā, “curved and pointed to the head (horns)”), Ho [script needed] (mendā), Santali [script needed] (meṛha, “twisted backwards (horns of a buffalo)”). The rest of Kuiper's discussion on the etymology of the term is too speculative to list here.

The "penis" sense may come from a collision and conflation with the etymologically unrelated मेढ्र (meḍhra, “penis (organ of urination)”); see there for more.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmeːɳ.ɖʱɐ/

Noun

मेण्ढ • (meṇḍha) stem, m

1. ram
2. penis

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of मेण्ढ (meṇḍha)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मेण्ढः meṇḍhaḥ	मेण्ढौ / मेण्ढा¹ meṇḍhau / meṇḍhā¹	मेण्ढाः / मेण्ढासः¹ meṇḍhāḥ / meṇḍhāsaḥ¹
Vocative	मेण्ढ meṇḍha	मेण्ढौ / मेण्ढा¹ meṇḍhau / meṇḍhā¹	मेण्ढाः / मेण्ढासः¹ meṇḍhāḥ / meṇḍhāsaḥ¹
Accusative	मेण्ढम् meṇḍham	मेण्ढौ / मेण्ढा¹ meṇḍhau / meṇḍhā¹	मेण्ढान् meṇḍhān
Instrumental	मेण्ढेन meṇḍhena	मेण्ढाभ्याम् meṇḍhābhyām	मेण्ढैः / मेण्ढेभिः¹ meṇḍhaiḥ / meṇḍhebhiḥ¹
Dative	मेण्ढाय meṇḍhāya	मेण्ढाभ्याम् meṇḍhābhyām	मेण्ढेभ्यः meṇḍhebhyaḥ
Ablative	मेण्ढात् meṇḍhāt	मेण्ढाभ्याम् meṇḍhābhyām	मेण्ढेभ्यः meṇḍhebhyaḥ
Genitive	मेण्ढस्य meṇḍhasya	मेण्ढयोः meṇḍhayoḥ	मेण्ढानाम् meṇḍhānām
Locative	मेण्ढे meṇḍhe	मेण्ढयोः meṇḍhayoḥ	मेण्ढेषु meṇḍheṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Related terms

• मेण्ढक (meṇḍhaka)
• भेड्र (bheḍra), भेड (bheḍa), भेण्ड (bheṇḍa)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Phalura: miṇḍ, miḍ (Biori)
• Pali: meṇḍa (“ram”)
• Prakrit: 𑀫𑁂𑀟𑁆𑀠 (mĕḍḍha), 𑀫𑁂𑀁𑀠 (meṃḍha), 𑀫𑁂𑀁𑀟 (meṃḍa), 𑀫𑀺𑀁𑀠 (miṃḍha)
  • Central Indo-Aryan:
    • Hindustani:
      • Hindi: मेढ़ (meṛh), मेढ़ा (meṛhā), मेंढा (meṇḍhā)
      • Urdu: میڑھ (meṛh), میڑھا (meṛhā), مینڈھا (meṇḍhā)
  • Eastern Indo-Aryan:
    • Assamese: মেৰ (mer)
    • Bengali: মেড়া (meṛa)
  • Northern Indo-Aryan:
    • Nepali: मेढ़ो (meṛho), मेड़ो (meṛo)
  • Southern Indo-Aryan:
    • Marathi: मेंढा (meṇḍhā)
  • Western Indo-Aryan:
    • Gujarati: મેંઢું (meṇḍhũ)
• Prakrit: 𑀫𑁂𑀁𑀞𑀻 (meṃṭhī, “sheep”)
  • Central Indo-Aryan:
    • Old Hindi: मेठा (meṭhā, “ram”)
• Prakrit: *𑀫𑁂𑀚𑁆𑀛 (*mĕjjha)
  • Central Indo-Aryan:
    • Old Hindi: मेझुका (mejhukā, “ram”)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “मेण्ढ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 832/2.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “mēṇḍha”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press