𐨀𐨬𐨣

Niya Prakrit

Etymology

Exact etymology unknown. 2 possibilities:

• Borrowed from Iranian; compare Old Persian [script needed] (a-v-h-n-m /⁠āvahanam⁠/, “village”), Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (ʾwbʾhnl /⁠āwahan⁠/, “fortified place, stronghold”), Old Armenian աւան (awan) (whence Armenian ավան (avan)).
• Inherited from Sanskrit आपण (āpaṇa), with semantic extension from “market” > “market town” > “[any] town, village”.

Noun

𐨀𐨬𐨣 (avana)

1. village; parish

References

• Baums, Stefan, Glass, Andrew (2002–) “avana”, in A Dictionary of Gandhari‎^[1]
• Burrow, Thomas (1937) The Language of the Kharosthi Documents from Chinese Turkestan, London: Cambridge University Press, page 77
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “āpaṇá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 54