नाना

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀦𑀸𑀦𑁆𑀦 (*nānna, term for an older male relative), from baby talk.

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /nɑː.nɑː/, [näː.näː]

नाना • (nānā) m (feminine नानी, Urdu spelling نانا)

1. maternal grandfather

   Synonym: (endearing) नानू (nānū)

• दादा (dādā)

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “*nānna”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 405

Perhaps an aphetic amredita of अना (anā́) (nā́nā ⇐*anā́nā), with the meaning 'in this way and that way, hereby and thereby'. Compare parallel formations इहेह (iheha) and इतरेतर (itaretara).

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /nɑ́ː.nɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /n̪ɑː.n̪ɑː/

नाना • (nā́nā)

1. differently, variously, separately, manifoldly
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.102.5:

     नाना॒ हि त्वा॒ हव॑माना॒ जना॑ इ॒मे धना॑नां धर्त॒रव॑सा विप॒न्यवः॑ ।
     अ॒स्माकं॑ स्मा॒ रथ॒मा ति॑ष्ठ सा॒तये॒ जैत्रं॒ ही॑न्द्र॒ निभृ॑तं॒ मन॒स्तव॑ ॥

     nā́nā hí tvā hávamānā jánā imé dhánānāṃ dhartarávasā vipanyávaḥ.
     asmā́kaṃ smā ráthamā́ tiṣṭha sātáye jaítraṃ hī̀ndra níbhṛtaṃ mánastáva.

     For here in diverse ways these men invoking thee, holder of treasures, sing hymns to win thine aid.
     Ascend the car that thou mayest bring spoil to us, for, Indra, thy fixt winneth the victory.

• Pali: nānā
• Prakrit: 𑀡𑀸𑀡𑀸 (ṇāṇā)

• Monier Williams (1899) “नाना”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 535.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “nānā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “नाना”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 887
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “नाना”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 139
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “nā́nā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 405