काष्ठ

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

কাষ্ঠ (Assamese script)
ᬓᬵᬱ᭄ᬞ (Balinese script)
কাষ্ঠ (Bengali script)
𑰎𑰯𑰬𑰿𑰙 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀓𑀸𑀱𑁆𑀞 (Brahmi script)
ကာၑ္ဌ (Burmese script)
કાષ્ઠ (Gujarati script)
ਕਾਸ਼੍ਠ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌕𑌾𑌷𑍍𑌠 (Grantha script)
ꦏꦴꦰ꧀ꦜ (Javanese script)
𑂍𑂰𑂭𑂹𑂘 (Kaithi script)
ಕಾಷ್ಠ (Kannada script)
កាឞ្ឋ (Khmer script)
ກາຩ຺ຐ (Lao script)
കാഷ്ഠ (Malayalam script)
ᡬᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢢᡱᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘎𑘰𑘬𑘿𑘙 (Modi script)
ᢉᠠᢗᢔᢍᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑦮𑧑𑧌𑧠𑦹 (Nandinagari script)
𑐎𑐵𑐲𑑂𑐛 (Newa script)
କାଷ୍ଠ (Odia script)
ꢒꢵꢰ꣄ꢝ (Saurashtra script)
𑆑𑆳𑆰𑇀𑆜 (Sharada script)
𑖎𑖯𑖬𑖿𑖙 (Siddham script)
කාෂ‍්ඨ (Sinhalese script)
𑩜𑩛𑪀 𑪙𑩧 (Soyombo script)
𑚊𑚭𑚶𑚕 (Takri script)
காஷ்ட² (Tamil script)
కాష్ఠ (Telugu script)
กาษฺฐ (Thai script)
ཀཱ་ཥྛ (Tibetan script)
𑒏𑒰𑒭𑓂𑒚 (Tirhuta script)
𑨋𑨊𑨯𑩇𑨕 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.

Burrow derives this from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to break, hew”), via Proto-Indo-European **kolh₂-s-tHó- > Proto-Indo-Iranian **kālštʰás (Brugmann's law and Fortunatov's law) > काष्ठ (kāṣṭhá). Compare Proto-Germanic *hultą (“wood”) and Proto-Slavic *kolda (“log, wood”).

Hiersche derives the word from an unattested *कर्ष्ट (*karṣṭa) / *कृष्ट (*kṛṣṭa), with the sequence of sound changes being *कर्ष्ट (*karṣṭa) > *कट्ठ (*kaṭṭha) > *काठ (*kāṭha) > (via hyper-Sanskritism) काष्ठ (kāṣṭha). He further derives this from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kr̥štás, from Proto-Indo-European *kr̥stós (“(something) cut off”), from the root *(s)kers-, an enlargement of *(s)ker- (“to cut off”).

Less likely, cognate with Ancient Greek κάστον (káston, “wood”). Compare also Ashkun kaṭë (“beam”), Kamkata-viri kaṭë (“beam”), Prasuni këṭë (“beam”), Waigali kāṭa (“beam”).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɑːʂ.ʈʰɐ́/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kɑːʂ.ʈʰɐ/

Noun

काष्ठ • (kāṣṭhá) stem, n

wood, timber

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of काष्ठ
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	काष्ठम् (kāṣṭham)	काष्ठे (kāṣṭhe)	काष्ठानि (kāṣṭhāni) काष्ठा¹ (kāṣṭhā¹)
accusative	काष्ठम् (kāṣṭham)	काष्ठे (kāṣṭhe)	काष्ठानि (kāṣṭhāni) काष्ठा¹ (kāṣṭhā¹)
instrumental	काष्ठेन (kāṣṭhena)	काष्ठाभ्याम् (kāṣṭhābhyām)	काष्ठैः (kāṣṭhaiḥ) काष्ठेभिः¹ (kāṣṭhebhiḥ¹)
dative	काष्ठाय (kāṣṭhāya)	काष्ठाभ्याम् (kāṣṭhābhyām)	काष्ठेभ्यः (kāṣṭhebhyaḥ)
ablative	काष्ठात् (kāṣṭhāt)	काष्ठाभ्याम् (kāṣṭhābhyām)	काष्ठेभ्यः (kāṣṭhebhyaḥ)
genitive	काष्ठस्य (kāṣṭhasya)	काष्ठयोः (kāṣṭhayoḥ)	काष्ठानाम् (kāṣṭhānām)
locative	काष्ठे (kāṣṭhe)	काष्ठयोः (kāṣṭhayoḥ)	काष्ठेषु (kāṣṭheṣu)
vocative	काष्ठ (kāṣṭha)	काष्ठे (kāṣṭhe)	काष्ठानि (kāṣṭhāni) काष्ठा¹ (kāṣṭhā¹)

¹Vedic

Descendants

Pali: kaṭṭha
Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
- Ardhamagadhi Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - → Tamil: கட்டை (kaṭṭai)
  - → Telugu: కట్టె (kaṭṭe), కట్టియ (kaṭṭiya)
- Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - Assamese: কাঠ (kath)
  - Bengali: কাঠ (kaṭh)
- Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - Hindi: कठ (kaṭh)
  - Nepali: काठ (kāṭh)
  - Punjabi: ਕਾਠ (kāṭh)
  - Romani: kaśt
- Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - Old Marathi: काडा (kāḍā)
    - Marathi: काढ (kāḍh)
Telugu: కాష్ఠము (kāṣṭhamu)
Malayalam: കാഷ്ഠം (kāṣṭhaṁ)

References

Burrow, T[homas] (1975) “A New Look at Brugmann's Law”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London‎^[1], volume 38, number 1, page 76 of 55–80
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 345-6
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[3] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 205
Monier Williams (1899) “काष्ठ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 281/1.