सूत्र

See also: सत्र, स्तर, स्त्र, सितारा, स्त्री, संतरा, and सितार

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit सूत्र (sūtra). Doublet of सूत (sūt).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /suːt̪.ɾᵊ/

Noun

सूत्र • (sūtra) m

thread, yarn, string
a source, reference; text
(Hinduism) sutra: a rule
(mathematics) formula
प्रारंभिक सूत्र ― prārambhik sūtra ― basic formulae
(chemistry) formula
Synonym: रसायनिक सूत्र (rasāynik sūtra)

Declension

Declension of *सूत्र* (masc cons-stem)
	singular	plural
direct	सूत्र sūtra	सूत्र sūtra
oblique	सूत्र sūtra	सूत्रों sūtrõ
vocative	सूत्र sūtra	सूत्रो sūtro

References

McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “सूत्र”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

সূত্ৰ (Assamese script)
ᬲᬹᬢ᭄ᬭ (Balinese script)
সূত্র (Bengali script)
𑰭𑰳𑰝𑰿𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀲𑀽𑀢𑁆𑀭 (Brahmi script)
သူတြ (Burmese script)
સૂત્ર (Gujarati script)
ਸੂਤ੍ਰ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌸𑍂𑌤𑍍𑌰 (Grantha script)
ꦱꦹꦠꦿ (Javanese script)
𑂮𑂴𑂞𑂹𑂩 (Kaithi script)
ಸೂತ್ರ (Kannada script)
សូត្រ (Khmer script)
ສູຕ຺ຣ (Lao script)
സൂത്ര (Malayalam script)
ᠰᡠᡠᢠᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘭𑘴𑘝𑘿𑘨 (Modi script)
ᠰᠤᠤᢐᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧍𑧕𑦽𑧠𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
𑐳𑐹𑐟𑑂𑐬 (Newa script)
ସୂତ୍ର (Odia script)
ꢱꢹꢡ꣄ꢬ (Saurashtra script)
𑆱𑆷𑆠𑇀𑆫 (Sharada script)
𑖭𑖳𑖝𑖿𑖨 (Siddham script)
සූත්‍ර (Sinhalese script)
𑪁𑩒𑩛𑩫 𑪙𑩼 (Soyombo script)
𑚨𑚱𑚙𑚶𑚤 (Takri script)
ஸூத்ர (Tamil script)
సూత్ర (Telugu script)
สูตฺร (Thai script)
སཱུ་ཏྲ (Tibetan script)
𑒮𑒴𑒞𑓂𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
𑨰𑨃𑨊𑨙𑩇𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *súHtram, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *súHtram, from Proto-Indo-European *súh₁trom, from *syuh₁- (“to sew”). Synchronically derivable from the root सिव् (siv, “to sew”), and connected with सूचि (sūci) and सूना (sūnā).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /súːt.ɾɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /s̪uːt̪.ɾɐ/

Noun

सूत्र • (sū́tra) stem, n

thread, yarn, string, line, cord, wire
a measuring line
सूत्रपात (sū́tra-pāta) — applying the measuring line
the sacred thread or cord worn by the first three classes (compare यज्ञोपवीत (yajño-pavīta))
a girdle
a fibre
a line, stroke
a sketch, plan
that which like a thread runs through or holds together everything, rule, direction
a short sentence or aphoristic rule, and any work or manual consisting of strings of such rules; hanging together like threads; or, alternatively, written on palm leaves which are strung together sutra
a kind of tree

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of सूत्र
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	सूत्रम् (sū́tram)	सूत्रे (sū́tre)	सूत्राणि (sū́trāṇi) सूत्रा¹ (sū́trā¹)
accusative	सूत्रम् (sū́tram)	सूत्रे (sū́tre)	सूत्राणि (sū́trāṇi) सूत्रा¹ (sū́trā¹)
instrumental	सूत्रेण (sū́treṇa)	सूत्राभ्याम् (sū́trābhyām)	सूत्रैः (sū́traiḥ) सूत्रेभिः¹ (sū́trebhiḥ¹)
dative	सूत्राय (sū́trāya)	सूत्राभ्याम् (sū́trābhyām)	सूत्रेभ्यः (sū́trebhyaḥ)
ablative	सूत्रात् (sū́trāt)	सूत्राभ्याम् (sū́trābhyām)	सूत्रेभ्यः (sū́trebhyaḥ)
genitive	सूत्रस्य (sū́trasya)	सूत्रयोः (sū́trayoḥ)	सूत्राणाम् (sū́trāṇām)
locative	सूत्रे (sū́tre)	सूत्रयोः (sū́trayoḥ)	सूत्रेषु (sū́treṣu)
vocative	सूत्र (sū́tra)	सूत्रे (sū́tre)	सूत्राणि (sū́trāṇi) सूत्रा¹ (sū́trā¹)

¹Vedic

Descendants

Dardic:
- Dameli: sutr
- Kalasha: sūtr̥, sūtr
- Kashmiri: سَتھَر (sathar)
- Khowar: شتر (šutur)
- Phalura: سوتر (sūtr)
Pali: sutta
- → Burmese: သုတ် (sut)
  - → Shan: သုၵ်ႈ (sūk)
- → English: sutta
- → Lao: ສູດ (sūt)
- → Lü: ᦉᦳᧆᦏ (ṡudṫh)
- → Mon: သုတ်
- → Russian: су́тта (sútta)
- → Thai: สูตร (sùut)
Prakrit: 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢 (sutta), 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀺𑀅 (suttia)

Terms inherited from 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢 (sutta)

- Central:
  - Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢 (sutta)
    - Hindustani: sūt
      - Hindi: सूत
      - Urdu: سُوت (sūt)
- Eastern:
  - Magadhi Prakrit:
    - Assamese: সুত (xut), সূতা (xuta), ছুতা (suta)
    - Bengali: সুতা (śuta)
    - Bihari: सूत (sūt), सूता (sūtā)
      - Bhojpuri: सूत (sūt)
    - Odia: ସୁଟା (suṭā)
- Northern:
  - Khasa Prakrit:
    - Central Pahari:
      - Garhwali: सूत (sūt)
      - Kumaoni: सूत (sūt)
    - Eastern Pahari:
      - Nepali: सुत (sut)
    - Western Pahari:
      - Bhadrawahi: सूट्ळ (sūṭḷ), सूट्ळू (sūṭḷū)
- Northwestern:
  - Paisaci Prakrit:
    - Takka Apabhramsa:
      - Punjabi: sūtar, sūt, sūtrī, sūtṛī
        Gurmukhi script: ਸੂਤਰ, ਸੂਤ, ਸੂਤਰੀ, ਸੂਤੜੀ
        
        Shahmukhi script: سُوتَر, سُوت, سُوترِی, سُوتڑِی
        
        Lahnda: سوتر (sūtar)
        Southern Hindko: سُوتُر (sūtur), سُوترَا (sūtrā)
    - Vracada Apabhramsa:
      - Sindhi: suṭru
        Arabic script: سُٹرُ
        
        Devanagari script: सुट्रु
        
        Kachchi: સૂત્ર (sūtra)
- Southern:
  - Helu Prakrit:
    - Dhivehi: އުއި (ui)
    - Sinhalese: හු (hu), හුය (huya)
  - Maharastri Prakrit:
    - Konkani: sūta
      Devanagari script: सूत (sūt)
      
      Latin script: sut
      
      Kannada script: ಸೂತ
    - Marathi: सूत (sūt)
- Western:
  - Gurjara Apabhramsa:
    - Gujarati: સુતર (sutar)

Terms inherited from *𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀮

Central:
- Sauraseni Prakrit:
  - Hindustani: sutlī
    - Hindi: सुतली
    - Urdu: سُترِی (sutrī)
Eastern:
- Magadhi Prakrit:
  - Odia: ସୁତୁଲୋ (sutulo)
Northern:
- Khasa Prakrit:
  - Central Pahari:
    - Kumaoni: सुत्लो (sutlo)
  - Eastern Pahari:
    - Nepali: सुत्लि (sutli)

Terms inherited from 𑀲𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀺𑀅 (suttia)

Central:
- Sauraseni Prakrit:
  - Hindustani: sūtī
    - Hindi: सूती
    - Urdu: سُوتِی (sūtī)
Northern:
- Khasa Prakrit:
  - Eastern Pahari:
    - Nepali: सुति (suti)
Northwestern:
- Paisaci Prakrit:
  - Vracada Apabhramsa:
    - Punjabi: sūtī
      Gurmukhi script: ਸੂਤੀ
      
      Shahmukhi script: سُوتِی
Western:
- Gujarati: સુતરિયો (sutriyo)

Terms borrowed from सूत्र (sūtra)

→ Middle Chinese: 修多羅 (MC sjuw ta la)
- Mandarin: 修多羅 / 修多罗 (xiūduōluō)
→ Old Khmer: [script needed] (sūtra)
- Khmer: សូត្រ (sout)
→ Old Malay: [script needed] (sūtra)
- Classical Malay: سوترا (sutĕra)
  - Malay: sutera
    - Indonesian: sutra
  - → Maranao: sotra'
- → Tagalog: sutla
→ Old Tamil: 𑀘𑀽𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀺𑀭𑀫𑁆 (cūttiram)
→ Old Uyghur: [script needed] (sudur)
- → Middle Mongol: ᠰᠤᠳᠤᠷ (sudur)
  - Classical Mongolian: ᠰᠤᠳᠤᠷ (sudur)
    - Mongolian: судар (sudar)
→ English: sutra
→ French: soutra
→ German: Sutra
→ Norwegian Bokmål: sutra
→ Polish: sutra
→ Portuguese: sutra
→ Serbo-Croatian: sutra

References

Monier Williams (1899) “सूत्र”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1241.
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “sutra”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 781