तन्तु

See also: तनोति

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

তন্তু (Assamese script)
ᬢᬦ᭄ᬢᬸ (Balinese script)
তন্তু (Bengali script)
𑰝𑰡𑰿𑰝𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀢𑀦𑁆𑀢𑀼 (Brahmi script)
တန္တု (Burmese script)
તન્તુ (Gujarati script)
ਤਨ੍ਤੁ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌤𑌨𑍍𑌤𑍁 (Grantha script)
ꦠꦤ꧀ꦠꦸ (Javanese script)
𑂞𑂢𑂹𑂞𑂳 (Kaithi script)
ತನ್ತು (Kannada script)
តន្តុ (Khmer script)
ຕນ຺ຕຸ (Lao script)
തന്തു (Malayalam script)
ᢠᠠᠨᢠᡠ (Manchu script)
𑘝𑘡𑘿𑘝𑘳 (Modi script)
ᢐᠠᠨᢐᠤ (Mongolian script)
𑦽𑧁𑧠𑦽𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
𑐟𑐣𑑂𑐟𑐸 (Newa script)
ତନ୍ତୁ (Odia script)
ꢡꢥ꣄ꢡꢸ (Saurashtra script)
𑆠𑆤𑇀𑆠𑆶 (Sharada script)
𑖝𑖡𑖿𑖝𑖲 (Siddham script)
තන‍්තු (Sinhalese script)
𑩫𑩯 𑪙𑩫𑩒 (Soyombo script)
𑚙𑚝𑚶𑚙𑚰 (Takri script)
தந்து (Tamil script)
తన్తు (Telugu script)
ตนฺตุ (Thai script)
ཏ་ནྟུ (Tibetan script)
𑒞𑒢𑓂𑒞𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
𑨙𑨝𑩇𑨙𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *tántuṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *tántuš, from Proto-Indo-European *tén-tu-s, from *ten- (“to stretch, extend”). Cognate with Latin tentus.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /tɐ́n.tu/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /t̪ɐn̪.t̪u/

Noun

तन्तु • (tántu) stem, m

thread, cord, string, line, wire, warp (of a web), filament, fibre
cobweb
a succession of sacrificial performances
any one propagating his family in regular succession
a line of descendants
any continuity (as of thirst or hope)
name of a सामन् (sāman)
= नाग (-nāga)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of तन्तु
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	तन्तुः (tántuḥ)	तन्तू (tántū)	तन्तवः (tántavaḥ)
accusative	तन्तुम् (tántum)	तन्तू (tántū)	तन्तून् (tántūn)
instrumental	तन्तुना (tántunā) तन्त्वा¹ (tántvā¹)	तन्तुभ्याम् (tántubhyām)	तन्तुभिः (tántubhiḥ)
dative	तन्तवे (tántave)	तन्तुभ्याम् (tántubhyām)	तन्तुभ्यः (tántubhyaḥ)
ablative	तन्तोः (tántoḥ)	तन्तुभ्याम् (tántubhyām)	तन्तुभ्यः (tántubhyaḥ)
genitive	तन्तोः (tántoḥ)	तन्त्वोः (tántvoḥ)	तन्तूनाम् (tántūnām)
locative	तन्तौ (tántau)	तन्त्वोः (tántvoḥ)	तन्तुषु (tántuṣu)
vocative	तन्तो (tánto)	तन्तू (tántū)	तन्तवः (tántavaḥ)

¹Vedic

Related terms

काष्ठ (kāṣṭha-)
वर (vara-)
सप्त (saptá-)

Descendants

Bengali: তন্তু (tontu)
Marathi: तंतू (tantū)
Old Javanese: tantu
- > Javanese: ꦠꦤ꧀ꦠꦸ (tantu) (inherited)
- >? Malay: tentu
  - > Indonesian: tentu (inherited)
Punjabi: ਤੰਦ (tand)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “तन्तु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0436.

Further reading

Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “tantu”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.