नमस्
Sanskrit
Alternative scripts
Alternative scripts
- নমস্ (Assamese script)
- ᬦᬫᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
- নমস্ (Bengali script)
- 𑰡𑰦𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
- 𑀦𑀫𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
- နမသ် (Burmese script)
- નમસ્ (Gujarati script)
- ਨਮਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
- 𑌨𑌮𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
- ꦤꦩꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
- 𑂢𑂧𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
- ನಮಸ್ (Kannada script)
- នមស៑ (Khmer script)
- ນມສ຺ (Lao script)
- നമസ് (Malayalam script)
- ᠨᠠᠮᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
- 𑘡𑘦𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
- ᠨᠠᠮᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
- 𑧁𑧆𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
- 𑐣𑐩𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
- ନମସ୍ (Odia script)
- ꢥꢪꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
- 𑆤𑆩𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
- 𑖡𑖦𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
- නමස් (Sinhalese script)
- 𑩯𑩴𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
- 𑚝𑚢𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
- நமஸ் (Tamil script)
- నమస్ (Telugu script)
- นมสฺ (Thai script)
- ན་མ་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
- 𑒢𑒧𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
- 𑨝𑨢𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-Iranian *námas (“homage, salutation”), from Proto-Indo-European *némos (“bowing”).
Cognate with Avestan 𐬥𐬆𐬨𐬀𐬢𐬵𐬋 (nəmaŋhō), Sogdian [script needed] (namāč, “homage; prayer; reverence”), Persian نماز (namâz, “prayer, worship”), Ancient Greek νέμος (némos). The Sanskrit root is नम् (nam).
Pronunciation
- (Vedic) IPA(key): /nɐ́.mɐs/
- (Classical Sanskrit) IPA(key): /n̪ɐ.mɐs̪/
Noun
नमस् • (námas) stem, n
- bow, obeisance, homage, adoration; greeting, salutation [with dative]
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.27.13:
- नमो॑ म॒हद्भ्यो॒ नमो॑ अर्भ॒केभ्यो॒ नमो॒ युव॑भ्यो॒ नम॑ आशि॒नेभ्यः॑ ।
यजा॑म दे॒वान्यदि॑ श॒क्नवा॑म॒ मा ज्याय॑सः॒ शंस॒मा वृ॑क्षि देवाः ॥- námo mahádbhyo námo arbhakébhyo námo yúvabhyo náma āśinébhyaḥ.
yájāma devā́nyádi śaknávāma mā́ jyā́yasaḥ śáṃsamā́ vṛkṣi devāḥ. - Homage to the mighty and homage to the lesser [gods]; homage to the younger and homage to the elder [gods]!
Let us, if we have power, pay the gods worship: no better prayer than this, you gods, acknowledge.
- námo mahádbhyo námo arbhakébhyo námo yúvabhyo náma āśinébhyaḥ.
- नमो॑ म॒हद्भ्यो॒ नमो॑ अर्भ॒केभ्यो॒ नमो॒ युव॑भ्यो॒ नम॑ आशि॒नेभ्यः॑ ।
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.73.10:
- इ॒मा ब्रह्मा॑णि॒ वर्ध॑ना॒श्विभ्यां॑ सन्तु॒ शंत॑मा ।
या तक्षा॑म॒ रथाँ॑ इ॒वावो॑चाम बृ॒हन्नमः॑ ॥- imā́ bráhmāṇi várdhanāśvíbhyāṃ santu śáṃtamā.
yā́ tákṣāma ráthām̐ ivā́vocāma bṛhánnámaḥ. - Most pleasing to the Aśvins be these prayers which magnify their might,
Which we have fashioned, even as chariots high homage have we spoken forth.
- imā́ bráhmāṇi várdhanāśvíbhyāṃ santu śáṃtamā.
- इ॒मा ब्रह्मा॑णि॒ वर्ध॑ना॒श्विभ्यां॑ सन्तु॒ शंत॑मा ।
- c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 14.8.31.1:
- एवं कृत्वा नमस्तस्मै महादेवाय रंहसे ।
- evaṃ kṛtvā namastasmai mahādevāya raṃhase.
- Having done thus, I [give] homage to the great god, Shiva.
- एवं कृत्वा नमस्तस्मै महादेवाय रंहसे ।
- food
- Synonyms: भोजन (bhojana), खादन (khādana), भक्षण (bhakṣaṇa), आश (āśa); see also Thesaurus:खान
- thunderbolt
- gift, present
Declension
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | नमः (námaḥ) | नमसी (námasī) | नमांसि (námāṃsi) |
| accusative | नमः (námaḥ) | नमसी (námasī) | नमांसि (námāṃsi) |
| instrumental | नमसा (námasā) | नमोभ्याम् (námobhyām) | नमोभिः (námobhiḥ) |
| dative | नमसे (námase) | नमोभ्याम् (námobhyām) | नमोभ्यः (námobhyaḥ) |
| ablative | नमसः (námasaḥ) | नमोभ्याम् (námobhyām) | नमोभ्यः (námobhyaḥ) |
| genitive | नमसः (námasaḥ) | नमसोः (námasoḥ) | नमसाम् (námasām) |
| locative | नमसि (námasi) | नमसोः (námasoḥ) | नमःसु (námaḥsu) |
| vocative | नमः (námaḥ) | नमसी (námasī) | नमांसि (námāṃsi) |
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- Monier Williams (1899) “नमस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 528, column 1.
- Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “namas”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 400
- Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “नमस्”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 878
- Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “नमस्”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 136
- Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “namas”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.