वाच्

See also: वच् and वाचा

Sanskrit

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *wā́kṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wā́kš, from Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs, from *wekʷ- (“to speak”). Cognate with Latin vōx, Ancient Greek ὄψ (óps), Persian آواز (âvâz).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑ́ːt͡ɕ/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ʋɑːt͡ɕ/

Noun

वाच् • (vā́c) f

1. speech, voice, talk, language (also of animals), sound (also of inanimate objects as of the stones used for pressing, of a drum etc.)

   वाचम् (vācam)-√ṛ, √īr or √iṣ — to raise the voice, utter a sound, cry, call

2. a word, saying, phrase, sentence, statement, asseveration

   वाचं (vācaṃ)-√vad — to speak words

   वाचं व्या (vācaṃ vyā)-√hṛ — to utter words

   वाचं (vācaṃ)-√dā +dative — to address words to

   वाचा सत्यं (vācā satyaṃ)-√kṛ — to promise verbally in marriage, plight troth

3. Speech personified as the goddess of speech Vāc

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of वा (vā́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वाक् vā́k	वाचाउ vā́cāu	वाचस् vā́cas
Vocative	वाक् vā́k	वाचाउ vā́cāu	वाचस् vā́cas
Accusative	वाचम् vā́cam	वाचाउ vā́cāu	वाचस् / वाचस् vā́cas / vācás
Instrumental	वाचा vācā́	वाग्भ्याम् vāgbhyā́m	वाग्भिस् vāgbhís
Dative	वाचे vācé	वाग्भ्याम् vāgbhyā́m	वाग्भ्यस् vāgbhyás
Ablative	वाचस् vācás	वाग्भ्याम् vāgbhyā́m	वाग्भ्यस् vāgbhyás
Genitive	वाचस् vācás	वाचोस् vācós	वाचाम् vācā́m
Locative	वाचि vācí	वाचोस् vācós	वाक्षु vākṣú

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “वाच्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0936.