वाण

See also: वीणा, वाणी, वाणि, and वेणु

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

ৱাণ (Assamese script)
ᬯᬵᬡ (Balinese script)
বাণ (Bengali script)
𑰪𑰯𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀯𑀸𑀡 (Brahmi script)
ဝါဏ (Burmese script)
વાણ (Gujarati script)
ਵਾਣ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌵𑌾𑌣 (Grantha script)
ꦮꦴꦟ (Javanese script)
𑂫𑂰𑂝 (Kaithi script)
ವಾಣ (Kannada script)
វាណ (Khmer script)
ວາຓ (Lao script)
വാണ (Malayalam script)
ᠸᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘪𑘰𑘜 (Modi script)
ᠸᠠᢗᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧊𑧑𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
𑐰𑐵𑐞 (Newa script)
ଵାଣ (Odia script)
ꢮꢵꢠ (Saurashtra script)
𑆮𑆳𑆟 (Sharada script)
𑖪𑖯𑖜 (Siddham script)
වාණ (Sinhalese script)
𑩾𑩛𑩪 (Soyombo script)
𑚦𑚭𑚘 (Takri script)
வாண (Tamil script)
వాణ (Telugu script)
วาณ (Thai script)
ཝཱ་ཎ (Tibetan script)
𑒫𑒰𑒝 (Tirhuta script)
𑨭𑨊𑨘 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of unclear origin.

Müller connects the word to Proto-Iranian *vāna-ka-, reflected in Persian (bâng, “voice, noise”). However, the Persian term is likely derived from Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs (“voice, speech”), whence वाच् (vāc, “speech”), while वाण (vāṇa) is not easily derivable from that root.

Turner's attempt to link the word to Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to speak, say”) is formally unconvincing. Mayrhofer also rejects connections to वण् (vaṇ, “to sound”) and leaves the origin of the latter open.

Alternatively, Kuiper takes the word as a Munda borrowing.

Whether or not the "arrow" meaning is a semantic extension of the "noise" meaning or a phonetic variant of बाण (bāṇa, “arrow”) is uncertain.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.ɳɐ́/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.ɳɐ/

Noun

वाण • (vāṇá) stem, m

sounding, a sound (Kir.)
an arrow
music (especially of flutes, harps, etc.)
(music) a harp with 100 strings (TS., Br., ŚrS.)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of वाण
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	वाणः (vāṇáḥ)	वाणौ (vāṇaú) वाणा¹ (vāṇā́¹)	वाणाः (vāṇā́ḥ) वाणासः¹ (vāṇā́saḥ¹)
vocative	वाण (vā́ṇa)	वाणौ (vā́ṇau) वाणा¹ (vā́ṇā¹)	वाणाः (vā́ṇāḥ) वाणासः¹ (vā́ṇāsaḥ¹)
accusative	वाणम् (vāṇám)	वाणौ (vāṇaú) वाणा¹ (vāṇā́¹)	वाणान् (vāṇā́n)
instrumental	वाणेन (vāṇéna)	वाणाभ्याम् (vāṇā́bhyām)	वाणैः (vāṇaíḥ) वाणेभिः¹ (vāṇébhiḥ¹)
dative	वाणाय (vāṇā́ya)	वाणाभ्याम् (vāṇā́bhyām)	वाणेभ्यः (vāṇébhyaḥ)
ablative	वाणात् (vāṇā́t)	वाणाभ्याम् (vāṇā́bhyām)	वाणेभ्यः (vāṇébhyaḥ)
genitive	वाणस्य (vāṇásya)	वाणयोः (vāṇáyoḥ)	वाणानाम् (vāṇā́nām)
locative	वाणे (vāṇé)	वाणयोः (vāṇáyoḥ)	वाणेषु (vāṇéṣu)

¹Vedic

Noun

वाण • (vāṇa) stem, n

the sound of a particular small hand drum (L.)

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of वाण
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	वाणम् (vāṇam)	वाणे (vāṇe)	वाणानि (vāṇāni) वाणा¹ (vāṇā¹)
vocative	वाण (vāṇa)	वाणे (vāṇe)	वाणानि (vāṇāni) वाणा¹ (vāṇā¹)
accusative	वाणम् (vāṇam)	वाणे (vāṇe)	वाणानि (vāṇāni) वाणा¹ (vāṇā¹)
instrumental	वाणेन (vāṇena)	वाणाभ्याम् (vāṇābhyām)	वाणैः (vāṇaiḥ) वाणेभिः¹ (vāṇebhiḥ¹)
dative	वाणाय (vāṇāya)	वाणाभ्याम् (vāṇābhyām)	वाणेभ्यः (vāṇebhyaḥ)
ablative	वाणात् (vāṇāt)	वाणाभ्याम् (vāṇābhyām)	वाणेभ्यः (vāṇebhyaḥ)
genitive	वाणस्य (vāṇasya)	वाणयोः (vāṇayoḥ)	वाणानाम् (vāṇānām)
locative	वाणे (vāṇe)	वाणयोः (vāṇayoḥ)	वाणेषु (vāṇeṣu)

¹Vedic

Related terms

वाणी (vā́ṇī)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “वाण”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0939/2.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 541
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 130; 184