वर्ण

See also: वरुण, व्रण, and व्राण

Hindi

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ʋəɾɳ/, [ʋɐɾɳ]

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

   kŕṣṇavarṇa

   dark complexion

3. letter

Derived terms

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

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱৰ্ণ (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬃᬡ (Balinese script)
• বর্ণ (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰨𑰿𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀡 (Brahmi script)
• ဝရ်္ဏ (Burmese script)
• વર્ણ (Gujarati script)
• ਵਰ੍ਣ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌰𑍍𑌣 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦂꦟ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂩𑂹𑂝 (Kaithi script)
• ವರ್ಣ (Kannada script)
• វណ៌ (Khmer script)
• ວຣ຺ຓ (Lao script)
• വര്ണ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᠠᡵᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠠᠷᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧈𑧠𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐬𑑂𑐞 (Newa script)
• ଵର୍ଣ (Odia script)
• ꢮꢬ꣄ꢠ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆫𑇀𑆟 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖨𑖿𑖜 (Siddham script)
• වර්‍ණ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩼 𑪙𑩪 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚤𑚶𑚘 (Takri script)
• வர்ண (Tamil script)
• వర్ణ (Telugu script)
• วรฺณ (Thai script)
• ཝ་རྞ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒩𑓂𑒝 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨫𑩇𑨘 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *wárnas, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”). By surface analysis, वृ (vṛ, “cover”, root) +‎ -न (-na). Compare वृणोति (vṛṇoti, “to cover”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 (var^ənah, “covering”), English warn.

Noun

वर्ण • (várṇa) stem, m

1. covering, cloak, mantle
2. cover, lid
3. outward appearance, exterior, figure, form, shape, color
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
4. color of the face, (esp. good color or complexion), luster, beauty
5. color, tint, dye, pigment
   1. (by extension) race, species, kind, caste
6. the order or arrangement of a song or poem

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of वर्ण (várṇa)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वर्णः várṇaḥ	वर्णौ / वर्णा¹ várṇau / várṇā¹	वर्णाः / वर्णासः¹ várṇāḥ / várṇāsaḥ¹
Vocative	वर्ण várṇa	वर्णौ / वर्णा¹ várṇau / várṇā¹	वर्णाः / वर्णासः¹ várṇāḥ / várṇāsaḥ¹
Accusative	वर्णम् várṇam	वर्णौ / वर्णा¹ várṇau / várṇā¹	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)
• सुवर्ण (suvarṇa)

Etymology 2

Probably a semantic extension of the "color, species" meaning above.

Noun

वर्ण • (várṇa) stem, m

1. a letter, sound, vowel, syllable, word
2. a musical sound or note (also applied to the voice of animals)
3. praise, commendation, renown, glory

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)
  • → Kannada: ಬಣ್ಣ (baṇṇa)
• 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)
• → Kannada: ವರ್ಣ (varṇa)
• → Khmer: ពណ៌ (pɔə)
• → Madurese: bârna
• → Malay: warna (ورنا), rona (رونا) (through metathesis)
  • Indonesian: warna
• → Marathi: वर्ण (varṇa)
• → Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (varṇa)
• → Old Javanese: warṇa
  • > Javanese: ꦮꦂꦤ (warna) (inherited)
  • → Balinese: ᬯᬃᬡ (warna)
• → 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
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 517-518
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen‎^[2] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 154