वर्ण

See also: वरुण, व्रण, and व्राण

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वर्ण (várṇa). Doublet of बान (bān).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ʋəɾɳ/

Noun

वर्ण • (varṇ) m

1. color

   Synonym: रंग (raṅg)

2. race (ethnic group, often categorized by skin colour)
3. caste, class
4. letter

   वर्णमाला ― varṇamālā ― alphabet

5. (phonetics) a phone

Declension

Declension of वर्ण (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	वर्ण varṇ	वर्ण varṇ
oblique	वर्ण varṇ	वर्णों varṇõ
vocative	वर्ण varṇ	वर्णो varṇo

Derived terms

• वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
• वर्णहीन (varṇahīn)
• वर्णांध (varṇāndh)
• वर्णात्मक (varṇātmak)
• वर्णानुक्रम (varṇānukram)
• सवर्ण (savarṇ)

 

References

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

Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वर्ण (várṇa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋəɾ.ɳə/

Noun

वर्ण • (varṇa) m

1. colour

   Synonym: रंग (raṅga)

2. complexion

   कृष्णवर्ण

   kruṣṇavarṇa

   dark complexion

3. letter

Derived terms

• वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
• वर्णानुक्रम (varṇānukram)
• वर्णीय (varṇīy)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ᬯᬃᬡ (Balinese script)
• ৱৰ্ণ (Assamese script)
• বর্ণ (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰨𑰿𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀡 (Brahmi script)
• 𑌵𑌰𑍍𑌣 (Grantha script)
• વર્ણ (Gujarati script)
• ਵਰੑਣ (Gurmukhi script)
• ꦮꦂꦟ (Javanese script)
• វណ៌ (Khmer script)
• ವರ್ಣ (Kannada script)
• ວຣ຺ຓ (Lao script)
• വര്ണ (Malayalam script)
• 𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠠᠷᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• ᠸᠠᡵᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
• ဝရ်္ဏ (Burmese script)
• 𑧊𑧈𑧠𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐬𑑂𑐞 (Newa script)
• ଵର୍ଣ (Oriya script)
• ꢮꢬ꣄ꢠ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆫𑇀𑆟 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖨𑖿𑖜 (Siddham script)
• වර්ණ (Sinhalese script)
• వర్ణ (Telugu script)
• วรฺณ (Thai script)
• ཝ་རྞ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒩𑓂𑒝 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *wárnas, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-. Cognate with Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵‎ (var^ənah, “covering”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɐ́ɾ.ɳɐ/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɐɾ.ɳɐ/

Noun

वर्ण • (várṇa) m

1. outward appearance, exterior, figure, form, shape, color
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
2. covering
3. race, species kind, race, caste

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of वर्ण (várṇa)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वर्णः várṇaḥ	वर्णौ várṇau	वर्णाः / वर्णासः¹ várṇāḥ / várṇāsaḥ¹
Vocative	वर्ण várṇa	वर्णौ várṇau	वर्णाः / वर्णासः¹ várṇāḥ / várṇāsaḥ¹
Accusative	वर्णम् várṇam	वर्णौ várṇau	वर्णान् várṇān
Instrumental	वर्णेन várṇena	वर्णाभ्याम् várṇābhyām	वर्णैः / वर्णेभिः¹ várṇaiḥ / várṇebhiḥ¹
Dative	वर्णाय várṇāya	वर्णाभ्याम् várṇābhyām	वर्णेभ्यः várṇebhyaḥ
Ablative	वर्णात् várṇāt	वर्णाभ्याम् várṇābhyām	वर्णेभ्यः várṇebhyaḥ
Genitive	वर्णस्य várṇasya	वर्णयोः várṇayoḥ	वर्णानाम् várṇānām
Locative	वर्णे várṇe	वर्णयोः várṇayoḥ	वर्णेषु várṇeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• सवर्ण (savarṇa)
• वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀯𑀡𑁆𑀡 (vaṇṇa)
  • Gujarati: વાન (vān)
  • Hindi: बान (bān)
  • Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘰𑘜 (vāṇa), 𑘪𑘰𑘜𑘹𑘽 (vāṇeṃ), 𑘪𑘰𑘡 (vāna)
    • Marathi: वाण (vāṇ)
  • → Tamil: வண்ணம் (vaṇṇam) (or from Pali)
  • → Telugu: వన్నె (vanne)
• Pali: vaṇṇa
  • → Burmese: ဝဏ္ဏ (wanna.)
  • → Kannada: ಬಣ್ಣ (baṇṇa, “color”)
  • → Khmer: វណ្ណ (vannaʼ)
  • → Tamil: வண்ணம் (vaṇṇam) (or from Prakrit)
• → Assamese: বৰ্ণ (borno)
• → Early Assamese: বৰণ (boroṇo)
  • Assamese: বৰণ (boron)
• → Bengali: বরন (boron), বর্ণ (borno)
  • → Santali: ᱵᱳᱨᱳᱱ (boron)
• → English: varna
• → Gujarati: વર્ણ (varṇ)
• → Hindi: वर्ण (varṇ)
• → Javanese: ꦮꦼꦂꦤ (werna)
• → Kannada: ವರ್ಣ (varṇa)
• → Khmer: ពណ៌ (pɔə)
• → Malay: warna (ورنا), rona (رونا) (through metathesis)
  • Indonesian: warna
• → Marathi: वर्ण (varṇa)
• → Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (varṇa)
• → Tamil: வர்ணம் (varṇam) (learned)
• → Telugu: వర్ణము (varṇamu)
• → Thai: วรรณ (wan)

References

• “व॑र्ण” in Carl Cappeller, A Sanskrit–English Dictionary: Based upon the St. Petersburg Lexicons, Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, 1891, →OCLC, page 475, column 2.
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893), “वर्ण”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 271
• Monier Williams (1899), “Várṇa”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 924, column 2.
• Horace Hayman Wilson, A dictionary in Sanscrit and English, 2nd ed., Calcutta: Education Press, Circular Road, 1832, page 737