ಬಾಣಂತಿ

Kannada

Alternative forms

• ಬಾಣತಿ (bāṇati), ಬಾಣತ್ತಿ (bāṇatti)

Etymology

Seemingly inherited from Proto-Dravidian, with Malayalam വണ്ണ (vaṇṇa, “woman who has recently delivered”) being the sole certain cognate. The variant ಬಾಣತಿ (bāṇati) was perhaps the regular original form as the -ತಿ (-ti) suffix is often used to form feminine nouns in Kannada; compare ಗೌಡತಿ (gauḍati, “woman of the Gauda cast”) from ಗೌಡ (gauḍa), ಮಹಾರಾಯತಿ (mahārāyati, “queen; empress”) from ಮಹಾರಾಯ (mahārāya, “emperor”), etc.

The term was also perhaps influenced by Marathi बाळंत (bāḷanta), बाळंतीण (bāḷantīṇ, “woman who has recently delivered”), which would explain both the long ā vowel (which is otherwise unetymological) and the insertion of the nasal -n- into the suffix. Furthermore it is quite likely that the -ಅಂತಿ (-anti) suffix is also due to Sanskrit influence as feminine present participles in Sanskrit are formed by the suffix -अन्ती (-antī).

Telugu బాలింత (bālinta) has also been compared but the structure of the word makes establishing a connection challenging.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːɳɐn̪t̪i/

Noun

ಬಾಣಂತಿ • (bāṇanti) f

1. a woman who has recently given birth