वाण

See also: वीणा, वाणी, वाणि, and वेणु

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱাণ (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬵᬡ (Balinese script)
• বাণ (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰯𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀸𑀡 (Brahmi script)
• ဝါဏ (Burmese script)
• વાણ (Gujarati script)
• ਵਾਣ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌾𑌣 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦴꦟ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂰𑂝 (Kaithi script)
• ವಾಣ (Kannada script)
• វាណ (Khmer script)
• ວາຓ (Lao script)
• വാണ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘰𑘜 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠠᢗᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧑𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐵𑐞 (Newa script)
• ଵାଣ (Odia script)
• ꢮꢵꢠ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆳𑆟 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖯𑖜 (Siddham script)
• වාණ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩛𑩪 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚭𑚘 (Takri script)
• வாண (Tamil script)
• వాణ (Telugu script)
• วาณ (Thai script)
• ཝཱ་ཎ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒰𑒝 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨊𑨘 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of unclear origin.

Müller connects the word to Proto-Iranian *vāna-ka-, reflected in Persian بانگ (bâng, “voice, noise”). However, the Persian term is likely derived from Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs (“voice, speech”), whence वाच् (vāc, “speech”), while वाण (vāṇa) is not easily derivable from that root.

Turner's attempt to link the word to Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to speak, say”) is formally unconvincing. Mayrhofer also rejects connections to वण् (vaṇ, “to sound”) and leaves the origin of the latter open.

Alternatively, Kuiper takes the word as a Munda borrowing.

Whether or not the "arrow" meaning is a semantic extension of the "noise" meaning or a phonetic variant of बाण (bāṇa, “arrow”) is uncertain.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.ɳɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑː.ɳɐ/

Noun

वाण • (vāṇá) stem, m

1. sounding, a sound (Kir.)
2. an arrow
3. music (especially of flutes, harps, etc.)
4. (music) a harp with 100 strings (TS., Br., ŚrS.)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of वाण (vāṇá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वाणः vāṇáḥ	वाणौ / वाणा¹ vāṇaú / vāṇā́¹	वाणाः / वाणासः¹ vāṇā́ḥ / vāṇā́saḥ¹
Vocative	वाण vā́ṇa	वाणौ / वाणा¹ vā́ṇau / vā́ṇā¹	वाणाः / वाणासः¹ vā́ṇāḥ / vā́ṇāsaḥ¹
Accusative	वाणम् vāṇám	वाणौ / वाणा¹ vāṇaú / vāṇā́¹	वाणान् vāṇā́n
Instrumental	वाणेन vāṇéna	वाणाभ्याम् vāṇā́bhyām	वाणैः / वाणेभिः¹ vāṇaíḥ / vāṇébhiḥ¹
Dative	वाणाय vāṇā́ya	वाणाभ्याम् vāṇā́bhyām	वाणेभ्यः vāṇébhyaḥ
Ablative	वाणात् vāṇā́t	वाणाभ्याम् vāṇā́bhyām	वाणेभ्यः vāṇébhyaḥ
Genitive	वाणस्य vāṇásya	वाणयोः vāṇáyoḥ	वाणानाम् vāṇā́nām
Locative	वाणे vāṇé	वाणयोः vāṇáyoḥ	वाणेषु vāṇéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Noun

वाण • (vāṇa) stem, n

1. the sound of a particular small hand drum (L.)

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of वाण (vāṇa)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वाणम् vāṇam	वाणे vāṇe	वाणानि / वाणा¹ vāṇāni / vāṇā¹
Vocative	वाण vāṇa	वाणे vāṇe	वाणानि / वाणा¹ vāṇāni / vāṇā¹
Accusative	वाणम् vāṇam	वाणे vāṇe	वाणानि / वाणा¹ vāṇāni / vāṇā¹
Instrumental	वाणेन vāṇena	वाणाभ्याम् vāṇābhyām	वाणैः / वाणेभिः¹ vāṇaiḥ / vāṇebhiḥ¹
Dative	वाणाय vāṇāya	वाणाभ्याम् vāṇābhyām	वाणेभ्यः vāṇebhyaḥ
Ablative	वाणात् vāṇāt	वाणाभ्याम् vāṇābhyām	वाणेभ्यः vāṇebhyaḥ
Genitive	वाणस्य vāṇasya	वाणयोः vāṇayoḥ	वाणानाम् vāṇānām
Locative	वाणे vāṇe	वाणयोः vāṇayoḥ	वाणेषु vāṇeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Related terms

• वाणी (vā́ṇī)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “वाण”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0939/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 541
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 130; 184