म्लेच्छ

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit म्लेच्छ (mleccha).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /mleːt̪t͡ʃʰ/, [mleː(t̚)t͡ʃʰ]

Adjective

म्लेच्छ • (mlecch) (indeclinable)

1. barbarian

Noun

म्लेच्छ • (mlecch) m

1. barbarian

Declension

Declension of म्लेच्छ (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	म्लेच्छ mlecch	म्लेच्छ mlecch
oblique	म्लेच्छ mlecch	म्लेच्छों mlecchõ
vocative	म्लेच्छ mlecch	म्लेच्छो mleccho

Further reading

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

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ম্লেচ্ছ (Assamese script)
• ᬫ᭄ᬮᬾᬘ᭄ᬙ (Balinese script)
• ম্লেচ্ছ (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰿𑰩𑰸𑰓𑰿𑰔 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑁆𑀮𑁂𑀘𑁆𑀙 (Brahmi script)
• မ္လေစ္ဆ (Burmese script)
• મ્લેચ્છ (Gujarati script)
• ਮ੍ਲੇਚ੍ਛ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑍍𑌲𑍇𑌚𑍍𑌛 (Grantha script)
• ꦩ꧀ꦭꦺꦕ꧀ꦖ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂹𑂪𑂵𑂒𑂹𑂓 (Kaithi script)
• ಮ್ಲೇಚ್ಛ (Kannada script)
• ម្លេច្ឆ (Khmer script)
• ມ຺ເລຈ຺ຉ (Lao script)
• മ്ലേച്ഛ (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠯᡝᢜᡮᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘿𑘩𑘹𑘓𑘿𑘔 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠯᠧᢋᠼᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧠𑧉𑧚𑦳𑧠𑦴 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑑂𑐮𑐾𑐔𑑂𑐕 (Newa script)
• ମ୍ଲେଚ୍ଛ (Odia script)
• ꢪ꣄ꢭꢾꢗ꣄ꢘ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑇀𑆬𑆼𑆖𑇀𑆗 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖿𑖩𑖸𑖓𑖿𑖔 (Siddham script)
• ම‍්ලෙච‍්ඡ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴 𑪙𑩽𑩔𑩡 𑪙𑩢 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚶𑚥𑚲𑚏𑚶𑚐 (Takri script)
• ம்லேச்ச² (Tamil script)
• మ్లేచ్ఛ (Telugu script)
• มฺเลจฺฉ (Thai script)
• མླེ་ཙྪ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑓂𑒪𑒹𑒔𑓂𑒕 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑩇𑨬𑨄𑨣𑩇𑨤 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Thought to be from a substrate language, might be a borrowing from Proto-Dravidian *mel-Vkku. Possibly related to Akkadian 𒈨𒈛𒄩𒆠 (Me-luḫ-ḫa) or Sumerian 𒈨𒈛𒄩𒆠 (Me-luh-ha^KI /⁠Melukhkha, Meluḫḫa⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mlɐjt.t͡ɕʰɐ́/, [l̃lɐjt̚.t͡ɕʰɐ́]
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈml̪eːt̪.t͡ɕʰɐ/, [ˈml̪eːt̪̚.t͡ɕʰɐ]

Noun

म्लेच्छ • (mleccha) stem, m

1. mleccha, foreigner, barbarian

   Synonyms: बर्बर (barbara), यवन (yavana)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of म्लेच्छ (mlecchá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	म्लेच्छः mleccháḥ	म्लेच्छौ / म्लेच्छा¹ mlecchaú / mlecchā́¹	म्लेच्छाः / म्लेच्छासः¹ mlecchā́ḥ / mlecchā́saḥ¹
Vocative	म्लेच्छ mléccha	म्लेच्छौ / म्लेच्छा¹ mlécchau / mlécchā¹	म्लेच्छाः / म्लेच्छासः¹ mlécchāḥ / mlécchāsaḥ¹
Accusative	म्लेच्छम् mlecchám	म्लेच्छौ / म्लेच्छा¹ mlecchaú / mlecchā́¹	म्लेच्छान् mlecchā́n
Instrumental	म्लेच्छेन mlecchéna	म्लेच्छाभ्याम् mlecchā́bhyām	म्लेच्छैः / म्लेच्छेभिः¹ mlecchaíḥ / mlecchébhiḥ¹
Dative	म्लेच्छाय mlecchā́ya	म्लेच्छाभ्याम् mlecchā́bhyām	म्लेच्छेभ्यः mlecchébhyaḥ
Ablative	म्लेच्छात् mlecchā́t	म्लेच्छाभ्याम् mlecchā́bhyām	म्लेच्छेभ्यः mlecchébhyaḥ
Genitive	म्लेच्छस्य mlecchásya	म्लेच्छयोः mleccháyoḥ	म्लेच्छानाम् mlecchā́nām
Locative	म्लेच्छे mlecché	म्लेच्छयोः mleccháyoḥ	म्लेच्छेषु mlecchéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• म्लेच्छराज्य (mleccharājya)

Descendants

• Ardhamagadhi Prakrit: 𑀫𑀺𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀼 (milakkhu), 𑀫𑁂𑀘𑁆𑀙 (meccha)
• Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀫𑁂𑀘𑁆𑀙 (meccha)
  • Bengali: মেচ (mec, “Mech”)
• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀫𑀺𑀮𑀺𑀘𑁆𑀙 (miliccha)
  • Old Marathi: मलैस (malaisa)
• Pali: milakkha, milakkhu (a borrowing from another Prakrit), milāca
• Sauraseni Prakrit:
  • Braj: मेछ (mech)
• → Bengali: ম্লেচ্ছ (mleccho)
• → Hindi: म्लेच्छ (mlecch)
• → Kannada: ಮ್ಲೇಚ್ಛ (mlēccha)
• → Tamil: மிலேச்சன் (milēccaṉ)
• → Classical Newar: म्लेछ
• → Old Javanese: [script needed] (mleccha), [script needed] (maleca)
  • Javanese: ꦩ꧀ꦭꦺꦕ (mléca)
• → Old Marathi: म्लेंछ (mleṃcha)
• → Malayalam: മ്ലേച്ഛം (mlēcchaṁ), മ്ലേച്ഛൻ (mlēcchaṉ), മ്ലേച്ഛ (mlēccha)
• → Middle Chinese: 蔑戾車 (MC met let tsyhae), 蔑隸車 (MC met lejH tsyhae)

References

• “म्लेच्छ॑” in Carl Cappeller, A Sanskrit–English Dictionary: Based upon the St. Petersburg Lexicons, Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, 1891, →OCLC, page 423, column 2.
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “म्लेच्छ”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 237
• Monier Williams (1899) “म्लेच्छ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 837/3.
• Apte, Macdonell (2022) “म्लेच्छ”, in Digital Dictionaries of South India [Combined Sanskrit Dictionaries]