मेखला

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

মেখলা (Assamese script)
ᬫᬾᬔᬮᬵ (Balinese script)
মেখলা (Bengali script)
𑰦𑰸𑰏𑰩𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀫𑁂𑀔𑀮𑀸 (Brahmi script)
မေခလာ (Burmese script)
મેખલા (Gujarati script)
ਮੇਖਲਾ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌮𑍇𑌖𑌲𑌾 (Grantha script)
ꦩꦺꦑꦭꦴ (Javanese script)
𑂧𑂵𑂎𑂪𑂰 (Kaithi script)
ಮೇಖಲಾ (Kannada script)
មេខលា (Khmer script)
ເມຂລາ (Lao script)
മേഖലാ (Malayalam script)
ᠮᡝᡘᠠᠯᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
𑘦𑘹𑘏𑘩𑘰 (Modi script)
ᠮᠧᠻᠠᠯᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
𑧆𑧚𑦯𑧉𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
𑐩𑐾𑐏𑐮𑐵 (Newa script)
ମେଖଲା (Odia script)
ꢪꢾꢓꢭꢵ (Saurashtra script)
𑆩𑆼𑆒𑆬𑆳 (Sharada script)
𑖦𑖸𑖏𑖩𑖯 (Siddham script)
මෙඛලා (Sinhalese script)
𑩴𑩔𑩝𑩽𑩛 (Soyombo script)
𑚢𑚲𑚋𑚥𑚭 (Takri script)
மேக²லா (Tamil script)
మేఖలా (Telugu script)
เมขลา (Thai script)
མེ་ཁ་ལཱ (Tibetan script)
𑒧𑒹𑒐𑒪𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
𑨢𑨄𑨌𑨬𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Apparently from two components मे (me) + खला (khalā, “support belt?”) (the latter also found in शृङ्खला (śṛṅkhalā, “chain, fetter”)), both of unclear origin; resemblance to Ancient Greek μασχάλη (maskhálē, “armpit, axilla”) has been noted, though whether they are indeed related is uncertain.^[1]

The first syllable, मे (me), has been alternately considered to be from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to bind”), or as a prefix fossilized in a putative borrowing from an Austroasiatic language.^[2] The second component, खला (khalā), has not been explained.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ́j.kʰɐ.lɑː/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /meː.kʰɐ.l̪ɑː/

Noun

मेखला • (mékhalā) stem, f

belt, girdle (of men and women)
girth (of horses)
(Hinduism) the triple girdle of the three twice-born castes
zone
investiture with the girdle
slope (of a mountain)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of मेखला
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	मेखला (mékhalā)	मेखले (mékhale)	मेखलाः (mékhalāḥ)
accusative	मेखलाम् (mékhalām)	मेखले (mékhale)	मेखलाः (mékhalāḥ)
instrumental	मेखलया (mékhalayā) मेखला¹ (mékhalā¹)	मेखलाभ्याम् (mékhalābhyām)	मेखलाभिः (mékhalābhiḥ)
dative	मेखलायै (mékhalāyai)	मेखलाभ्याम् (mékhalābhyām)	मेखलाभ्यः (mékhalābhyaḥ)
ablative	मेखलायाः (mékhalāyāḥ) मेखलायै² (mékhalāyai²)	मेखलाभ्याम् (mékhalābhyām)	मेखलाभ्यः (mékhalābhyaḥ)
genitive	मेखलायाः (mékhalāyāḥ) मेखलायै² (mékhalāyai²)	मेखलयोः (mékhalayoḥ)	मेखलानाम् (mékhalānām)
locative	मेखलायाम् (mékhalāyām)	मेखलयोः (mékhalayoḥ)	मेखलासु (mékhalāsu)
vocative	मेखले (mékhale)	मेखले (mékhale)	मेखलाः (mékhalāḥ)

¹Vedic
²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

→ Assamese: মেখেলা (mekhela)
→ Tamil: மேகலை (mēkalai)

References

^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “mékhalā-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 374
^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) “mékhalā”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 680