मण्डल

मण्डल n

1. Devanagari script form of maṇḍala

Unknown. Several theories have been proposed:

• Mayrhofer and Turner agree on *मण्ड (*maṇḍa, “round”) +‎ -ल (-la), based on the lexeme found in the Classical compounds नौमण्ड (naumaṇḍa, “chief part of a ship”), मण्डचरवन्त् (maṇḍacaravant, “as if going in a circle; having a noose (?)”).^[1][2] Further etymology is unknown, but Dardic descendants may support a non-retroflexed *मन्द (*manda) as the ultimate source.
  • Mayrhofer proposes the following Indo-European cognates: Proto-Slavic *mǫdo (“testicle”) if the retroflexion is spontaneous, or Old Irish mell (“ball”) (> modern Irish meall) if we assume l-induced retroflexion of *mel-nd- under Fortunatov's law.^[3]
  • Burrow, later supported by Turner, proposes borrowing from Proto-Dravidian *maṇḍ- (“to be bent”), with cognates Tamil மண்டி (maṇṭi, “kneeling”), முடலை (muṭalai, “ball, globe”).^[4]
• Tedesco proposes वृत्त (vṛtta, “round”) +‎ -ल (-la), undergoing Prakrit-like sound changes via ad-hoc intermediate *वट्टल (*vaṭṭala) > *वण्टल (*vaṇṭala) > *वण्डल (*vaṇḍala).^[5] He furthermore proposes initial v- > m- as a common Middle Indo-Aryan sound change; see मुण्ड (muṇḍa, “bald”) for more. Turner rejects this etymology on phonological grounds.^[2]
• Borrowed from substrate language. Compare Nihali मौड्ढारी (moḍḍhārī, “triangle”), for the "triangle" sense in the Caturvargacintāmaṇi.

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ́ɳ.ɖɐ.lɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /mɐɳ.ɖɐ.l̪ɐ/

मण्ड॑ल • (máṇḍala) stem

1. circular, round
   • 550 CE, Varāhamihira, Bṛhat Saṃhitā

मण्ड॑ल • (máṇḍala) stem, n

1. (rarely m) disk (especially of the sun or moon)
2. anything round
3. circle, globe, orb, ring, circumference, ball, wheel

   मण्डलेन ― maṇḍalena ― in a circle

   • c. 700 BCE, Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
4. (astronomy) the path or orbit of a heavenly body
   • c. 400 CE, Lāṭadeva, Sūryasiddhānta
5. a halo round the sun or moon
   • 550 CE, Varāhamihira, Bṛhat Saṃhitā
6. a ball used for playing
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
7. (surgery) circular bandage
   • c. 600 BCE – 600 CE, Suśruta, Suśruta Saṃhitā
8. (also in the plural) a sort of cutaneous eruption or leprosy with circular spot
9. round mole or mark (caused by a fingernail etc.) on the body
   • Lāṭyāyana, Lāṭyāyana-śrauta-sūtra
   • c. 300 BCE, Kātyāyana, Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra
10. (military) circular array of troops
    • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
    • Kām
11. (geography) district, arrondissement, territory, province, country
    • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
12. mandala (a surrounding district or neighbouring state; the circle consisting of a ruler's near and distant neighbours)
    • c. 200 BCE – 200 CE, Manusmṛti 7.154
    • Yājñ
    • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
13. a multitude, group, band, collection, whole body, society, company
14. mandala (division of the book of the Rigveda)

In Hemādri's Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi also applied to anything triangular; compare मण्डलक (maṇḍalaka).

• मण्डलिन् (maṇḍalin, “chief, leader”, literally “possessor of the territory”)
  • Pali: maṇḍalin
  • Prakrit: 𑀫𑀁𑀟𑀮𑀺 (maṃḍali)
    • Bengali: মোড়ল (mōṛol, “chief of a village”)

• Dardic:
  • Kalasha: māṇḍal (“coffin”), māṇḍau
  • Kashmiri:

    Arabic script: مانڈُل (mānḍul)

    Devanagari script: मन्डुल (manḍul, “circle”)

• Pali: maṇḍala
• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀁𑀟𑀮 (maṃḍala) (see there for further descendants)

Borrowed terms

• Monier Williams (1899) “मण्डल”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 775, column 3.