जटा

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit जटा (jaṭā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒə.ʈɑː/, [d͡ʒɐ.ʈäː]

Noun

जटा • (jaṭā) f (Urdu spelling جٹا)

1. dreadlocks
2. (Hinduism) the hair of Shiva, which is matted into dreadlocks, like the hair of a sadhu

Declension

Declension of जटा (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	जटा jaṭā	जटाएँ jaṭāẽ
oblique	जटा jaṭā	जटाओं jaṭāõ
vocative	जटा jaṭā	जटाओ jaṭāo

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• জটা (Assamese script)
• ᬚᬝᬵ (Balinese script)
• জটা (Bengali script)
• 𑰕𑰘𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀚𑀝𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဇဋာ (Burmese script)
• જટા (Gujarati script)
• ਜਟਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌜𑌟𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦗꦛꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂔𑂗𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಜಟಾ (Kannada script)
• ជដា (Khmer script)
• ຊຏາ (Lao script)
• ജടാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡯᠠᢞᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘕𑘘𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠽᠠᢌᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦵𑦸𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐖𑐚𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଜଟା (Odia script)
• ꢙꢜꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆘𑆛𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖕𑖘𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ජටා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩣𑩦𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚑𑚔𑚭 (Takri script)
• ஜடா (Tamil script)
• జటా (Telugu script)
• ชฏา (Thai script)
• ཛ་ཊཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒖𑒙𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨥𑨔𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.

Likely a borrowing from a local substrate, supported by the wide phonetic variation in the word's descendants in modern Indo-Aryan languages. However, Dravidian cognates such as Tamil சடை (caṭai) are understood to be borrowed from Sanskrit, rather than the other way around.

Formal analysis is made difficult by contamination from words with similar phonetics and semantics, such as चूड (cū́ḍa, “protuberance on brick”) and जूट (jūṭa, “twisted hair”).

Attempts to connect the word to Indo-European, such as to Ancient Greek βόστρῠχος (bóstrŭkhos, “lock of hair”), and German Klette (“burdock”), are unconvincing.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑɐ́.ʈɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑɐ.ʈɑː/

Noun

जटा॑ • (jáṭā) stem, f

1. the hair twisted together (as worn by ascetics, by Shiva, and persons in mourning); braid of hair
2. a fibrous root, root (in general)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of जटा॑

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	जटा॑ (jáṭā)	जटे॑ (jáṭe)	जटाः॑ (jáṭāḥ)
accusative	जटा॑म् (jáṭām)	जटे॑ (jáṭe)	जटाः॑ (jáṭāḥ)
instrumental	जट॑या (jáṭayā) जटा॑¹ (jáṭā¹)	जटा॑भ्याम् (jáṭābhyām)	जटा॑भिः (jáṭābhiḥ)
dative	जटा॑यै (jáṭāyai)	जटा॑भ्याम् (jáṭābhyām)	जटा॑भ्यः (jáṭābhyaḥ)
ablative	जटा॑याः (jáṭāyāḥ) जटा॑यै² (jáṭāyai²)	जटा॑भ्याम् (jáṭābhyām)	जटा॑भ्यः (jáṭābhyaḥ)
genitive	जटा॑याः (jáṭāyāḥ) जटा॑यै² (jáṭāyai²)	जट॑योः (jáṭayoḥ)	जटा॑नाम् (jáṭānām)
locative	जटा॑याम् (jáṭāyām)	जट॑योः (jáṭayoḥ)	जटा॑सु (jáṭāsu)
vocative	जटे॑ (jáṭe)	जटे॑ (jáṭe)	जटाः॑ (jáṭāḥ)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Related terms

• जट (jaṭa)
• जटि (jaṭi)
• जटिल (jaṭilá)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “जटा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 409, column 1.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “jáṭā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 280