तन्तु

See also: तनोति

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• তন্তু (Assamese script)
• ᬢᬦ᭄ᬢᬸ (Balinese script)
• তন্তু (Bengali script)
• 𑰝𑰡𑰿𑰝𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀢𑀦𑁆𑀢𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• တန္တု (Burmese script)
• તન્તુ (Gujarati script)
• ਤਨ੍ਤੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌤𑌨𑍍𑌤𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦠꦤ꧀ꦠꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂞𑂢𑂹𑂞𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ತನ್ತು (Kannada script)
• តន្តុ (Khmer script)
• ຕນ຺ຕຸ (Lao script)
• തന്തു (Malayalam script)
• ᢠᠠᠨᢠᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘝𑘡𑘿𑘝𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᢐᠠᠨᢐᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦽𑧁𑧠𑦽𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐟𑐣𑑂𑐟𑐸 (Newa script)
• ତନ୍ତୁ (Odia script)
• ꢡꢥ꣄ꢡꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆠𑆤𑇀𑆠𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖝𑖡𑖿𑖝𑖲 (Siddham script)
• තන‍්තු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩫𑩯 𑪙𑩫𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚙𑚝𑚶𑚙𑚰 (Takri script)
• தந்து (Tamil script)
• తన్తు (Telugu script)
• ตนฺตุ (Thai script)
• ཏ་ནྟུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒞𑒢𑓂𑒞𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨙𑨝𑩇𑨙𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *tántuṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *tántuš, from Proto-Indo-European *tén-tu-s, from *ten- (“to stretch, extend”). Cognate with Latin tentus.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /tɐ́n.tu/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈt̪ɐn̪.t̪u/

Noun

तन्तु • (tántu) stem, m

1. thread, cord, string, line, wire, warp (of a web), filament, fibre
2. cobweb
3. a succession of sacrificial performances
4. any one propagating his family in regular succession
5. a line of descendants
6. any continuity (as of thirst or hope)
7. name of a सामन् (sāman)
8. = नाग (-nāga)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of तन्तु (tántu)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	तन्तुः tántuḥ	तन्तू tántū	तन्तवः tántavaḥ
Vocative	तन्तो tánto	तन्तू tántū	तन्तवः tántavaḥ
Accusative	तन्तुम् tántum	तन्तू tántū	तन्तून् tántūn
Instrumental	तन्तुना / तन्त्वा¹ tántunā / tántvā¹	तन्तुभ्याम् tántubhyām	तन्तुभिः tántubhiḥ
Dative	तन्तवे tántave	तन्तुभ्याम् tántubhyām	तन्तुभ्यः tántubhyaḥ
Ablative	तन्तोः tántoḥ	तन्तुभ्याम् tántubhyām	तन्तुभ्यः tántubhyaḥ
Genitive	तन्तोः tántoḥ	तन्त्वोः tántvoḥ	तन्तूनाम् tántūnām
Locative	तन्तौ tántau	तन्त्वोः tántvoḥ	तन्तुषु tántuṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Related terms

• काष्ठ (kāṣṭha-)
• वर (vara-)
• सप्त (saptá-)

Descendants

• Marathi: तंतू (tantū)
• Punjabi: ਤੰਦ (tand)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “तन्तु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0436.

Further reading

• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “tantu”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.