क्षीर

See also: क्षौर, क्षुरी, क्षौरी, and क्षार

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ক্ষীৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬓ᭄ᬱᬷᬭ (Balinese script)
• ক্ষীর (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰱𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀻𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• က္ၑီရ (Burmese script)
• ક્ષીર (Gujarati script)
• ਕ੍ਸ਼ੀਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕𑍍𑌷𑍀𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦏ꧀ꦰꦷꦫ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂲𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ಕ್ಷೀರ (Kannada script)
• ក្ឞីរ (Khmer script)
• ກ຺ຩີຣ (Lao script)
• ക്ഷീര (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᢢᡳᡳᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘲𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᢉᢔᠢᠢᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮𑧠𑧌𑧓𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐷𑐬 (Newa script)
• କ୍ଷୀର (Odia script)
• ꢒ꣄ꢰꢷꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆵𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖱𑖨 (Siddham script)
• ක්‍ෂීර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑩑𑩛𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊𑚶𑚯𑚤 (Takri script)
• க்ஷீர (Tamil script)
• క్షీర (Telugu script)
• กฺษีร (Thai script)
• ཀྵཱི་ར (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒲𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨁𑨊𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšiHrám

Sanskrit क्षीर (kṣīra)

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšiHrám (“milk”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬑𐬱𐬎𐬎𐬌𐬛- (xšuuid-), Northern Kurdish şîr, Persian شیر (šir), Zazaki şıd, şıt. Originally thought to be from Proto-Indo-European *swēyd- (“milk”), but Lubotsky claims a borrowing from the BMAC substrate .

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kʂiː.ɾɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kʂiː.ɾɐ/

Noun

क्षीर • (kṣīrá) stem, n

1. milk, thickened milk

   Synonyms: दुग्ध (dugdhá), पयस् (payas)

   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.67.32:

     पावमानीर्यो अध्येत्यृषिभिः सम्भृतं रसम् ।
     तस्मै सरस्वती दुहे क्षीरं सर्पिर्मधूदकम् ॥

     pāvamānīryo adhyetyṛṣibhiḥ sambhṛtaṃ rasam.
     tasmai sarasvatī duhe kṣīraṃ sarpirmadhūdakam.

     Whoever reads the essence stored by saints, the Pavamani hymns,
     Sarasvatī draws forth for him water and butter, milk and meath.

   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda
2. the milky juice or sap of plants

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of क्षीर

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	क्षीरम् (kṣīrám)	क्षीरे (kṣīré)	क्षीराणि (kṣīrā́ṇi) क्षीरा¹ (kṣīrā́¹)
accusative	क्षीरम् (kṣīrám)	क्षीरे (kṣīré)	क्षीराणि (kṣīrā́ṇi) क्षीरा¹ (kṣīrā́¹)
instrumental	क्षीरेण (kṣīréṇa)	क्षीराभ्याम् (kṣīrā́bhyām)	क्षीरैः (kṣīráiḥ) क्षीरेभिः¹ (kṣīrébhiḥ¹)
dative	क्षीराय (kṣīrā́ya)	क्षीराभ्याम् (kṣīrā́bhyām)	क्षीरेभ्यः (kṣīrébhyaḥ)
ablative	क्षीरात् (kṣīrā́t)	क्षीराभ्याम् (kṣīrā́bhyām)	क्षीरेभ्यः (kṣīrébhyaḥ)
genitive	क्षीरस्य (kṣīrásya)	क्षीरयोः (kṣīráyoḥ)	क्षीराणाम् (kṣīrā́ṇām)
locative	क्षीरे (kṣīré)	क्षीरयोः (kṣīráyoḥ)	क्षीरेषु (kṣīréṣu)
vocative	क्षीर (kṣī́ra)	क्षीरे (kṣī́re)	क्षीराणि (kṣī́rāṇi) क्षीरा¹ (kṣī́rā¹)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• क्षीरद (kṣīrada)
• क्षीरान्न (kṣīrānna)
• क्षीराब्धि (kṣīrābdhi)
• गोक्षीर (gokṣīra)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Dameli: [script needed] (c̣hīr)
  • Gawar-Bati: [script needed] (c̣hir)
  • Kalami: [script needed] (c̣hīr, “milk, udder”)
  • Kalasha: č̣hir
  • Khowar: ݯھیر (c̣hír)
  • Phalura: ڇھیر (c̣hīr)
  • Savi: [script needed] (c̣hir)
  • Shumashti: [script needed] (c̣hīr)
  • Torwali: ڇھی (c̣hī)
• Southern:
  • Helu Prakrit: 𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀺 (kiri)
    • Dhivehi: ކިރު (kiru)
    • Sinhalese: කිරි (kiri)
  • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀔𑀻𑀭 (khīra)
    • Marathi: खीर (khīr), शिरें (śirẽ, “caudle for puerperal women of coconut milk”)
• Northern:
  • Khasa Prakrit:
    • Nepali: खीर (khīra)
• Eastern:
  • Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀔𑀻𑀭 (khīra)
    • Assamese: খীৰ (khir)
    • Bengali: ক্ষীর (khir), খীর (khir)
    • Odia: ଖିରି (khiri), ଖିର (khira, “milk, juice from trees”), ଖିରା (khirā, “inspissated milk”)
    • Sylheti: ꠈꠤꠞ (kír)
• Western:
  • Paisaci Prakrit:
    • Punjabi: ਖੀਰ (khīr)
      • Lahnda: کھِیر (khīr)
    • Sindhi:

      Arabic script: کِيرُ (khīru)

      Devanagari script: खीरु

• Pali: khīra
• Central:
  • Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀔𑀻𑀭 (khīra)
    • Domaaki: [script needed] (c̣hīr)
    • Gujarati: ખીરું (khīrũ)
    • Hindustani:

      Hindi: खीर (khīr)

      Urdu: کھیر (khīr)

      • → English: kheer
    • >? Romani: khil
• → Proto-Nuristani:
  • Waigali: [Term?] (c̣hīr, “sour milk”)
• → Telugu: క్షీరము (kṣīramu) (learned)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “क्षीर”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 329/3.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 433