वा

See also: वृ, वो, वे, व, वि, -वां, वि-, and -व

Braj

Pronoun

वा (vā)

1. feminine of वो (vo)

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː/, [ʋäː]

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Classical Persian وا (wā).

Adjective

वा • (vā) (Urdu spelling وا)

1. (poetic) open

   वा करना ― vā karnā ― to open

   • Brij Narayan Chakbast, रामायण का एक सीन:

     इक दफ़्तर-ए-मज़ालिम-ए-चर्ख़-ए-कुहन खुला
     वा था दहान-ए-ज़ख़्म कि बाब-ए-सुख़न खुला

     ik daftar-e-mazālim-e-carx-e-kuhan khulā
     vā thā dahān-e-zaxma ki bāb-e-suxan khulā

     A scroll of tyrannies of the ancient heavens opened
     The mouths of wounds were now wide open, that the gates of parley were also unbarred

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Sanskrit वा (vā).

Conjunction

वा • (vā) (Urdu spelling وا)

1. (formal, rare) or

   Synonyms: अथवा (athvā), (more common) या (yā)

   • 2007, Dharmadatt Vaidh, Charaksamhita, Uttro Bhag [Volume 1], page 101:

     ...एक बार प्रयोग के पश्चात् एक दिन के वा दो दिन के अंतर से...

     ...ek bār prayog ke paścāt ek din ke vā do din ke antar se...

     ...an interval of one or two days after using for first time....

Etymology 3

Adverb

वा • (vā) (Urdu spelling وا)

1. Misspelling of वाँ (vā̃).

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “वा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Konkani

Etymology

From Sanskrit वा (vā).

Conjunction

वा • (vā) (Latin script va, Kannada script ವಾ)

1. or

Newar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [wa]

Etymology 1

Noun

वा • (wā) ? (Newa Spelling 𑐰𑐵)

1. rain

Etymology 2

Likely from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s/p-wa.

Noun

वा • (wā) ? (Newa Spelling 𑐰𑐵)

1. tooth

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• vā (Latin script)
• 𑀯𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ৰা (Bengali script)
• වා (Sinhalese script)
• ဝါ or ဝႃ (Burmese script)
• วา (Thai script)
• ᩅᩤ (Tai Tham script)
• ວາ (Lao script)
• វា (Khmer script)
• 𑅇𑄂 (Chakma script)

Conjunction

वा (vā)

1. Devanagari script form of vā
   • c. 500 AD, Kaccāyana, Pālivyākaraṇaṃ [Pali Grammar]‎^[1] (overall work in Pali), page 6; republished as Satish Chandra Acharyya Vidyabhusana, editor, Kaccayana's Pali Grammar (edited in Devanagari character and translated into English), Calcutta, Bengal: Mahabodhi Society, 1901:

     या च पन सक्कतगन्थेसु समञ्ञा घोसाति वाघोसाति वा ता पयोगे सति एत्थापि पयुज्जते

     Yā ca pana sakkataganthesu samaññā ghosāti vāghosāti vā tā payoge sati etthāpi payujjate.

     And moreover that designation either 'voiced' or 'unvoiced' which is in Sanskrit texts is applied even here when there is occasion.

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱা (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬵ (Balinese script)
• বা (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဝါ (Burmese script)
• વા (Gujarati script)
• ਵਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ವಾ (Kannada script)
• វា (Khmer script)
• ວາ (Lao script)
• വാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଵା (Odia script)
• ꢮꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖯 (Siddham script)
• වා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚭 (Takri script)
• வா (Tamil script)
• వా (Telugu script)
• วา (Thai script)
• ཝཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *-wā (“or”), from Proto-Indo-European *-wē (“or”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬬𐬁 (vā), Old Persian 𐎺𐎠 (v-a /⁠vā⁠/), Ancient Greek ἤ (ḗ) and Latin -ve.

Conjunction

वा • (vā)

1. or
2. or, preferably (marking the preferred of two alternatives) (Pāṇini)

Descendants

• Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀯 (va /⁠vā⁠/)
  • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀯𑀸 (vā)
• → Assamese: বা (ba)
• → Bengali: বা (ba)
• Pali: vā
• → Hindustani:
  • Hindi: वा (vā)
  • Urdu: وا (vā)
• → Kannada: ವಾ (vā)
• Konkani: वा (vā)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *HwaH-, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *HwaH-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”). Cognate with German wehen. Often considered one root with 'Etymology 3'.

Root

वा • (vā)

1. to blow (of wind)

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms belonging to the root वा (0 c, 5 e)

Terms derived from the Sanskrit root वा (6 c, 0 e)

Primary Verbal Forms

• वाति (vā́ti, Present)
• अवासीत् (ávāsīt, Aorist)
• ववौ (vaváu, Perfect)

Non-Finite Forms

• वात (vātá, Past Participle)
• वान (vāna, Past Participle)

Derived Nominal Forms

• वात (vā́ta, “wind”)
• वायु (vāyú)

Prefixed Root Forms

• उपवा (upavā)
• प्रवा (pravā)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *HwaH-, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *HwaH-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“to be extinguished”). Cognate with Latin vānus. Often considered one root with 'Etymology 2'.

Root

वा • (vā)

1. to become deficient, extinguished
2. to vanish

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms belonging to the root वा (0 c, 5 e)

Terms derived from the Sanskrit root वा (6 c, 0 e)

Primary Verbal Forms

• वायति (vā́yati, Present)
• अवासीत् (ávāsīt, Aorist)

Secondary Forms

• वापयति (vāpáyati, Causative)

Non-Finite Forms

• वात (vātá, Past Participle)

Derived Nominal Forms

• ऊन (ūná)
• निर्वाण (nirvāṇa)

Prefixed Root Forms

• उद्वा (udvā)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “वा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 934, column 2.
• William Dwight Whitney, 1885, The Roots, Verb-forms, and Primary Derivatives of the Sanskrit Language, Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, page 157
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 537-8
• Lubotsky, Alexander (2011) The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University, pages 574-5

Yamphu

Etymology

Probably from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bja ~ bra (“bird”).

Noun

वा (wa)

1. hen, chicken

References

• “वा”, in याम्फु - नेपाली - अङ्ग्रेजी शब्दकोश (Yamphu - Nepali - English Dictionary), Nepal: SIL International, 2019.