स्म

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

स्मा (smā)

Alternative scripts

স্ম (Assamese script)
ᬲ᭄ᬫ (Balinese script)
স্ম (Bengali script)
𑰭𑰿𑰦 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀲𑁆𑀫 (Brahmi script)
သ္မ (Burmese script)
સ્મ (Gujarati script)
ਸ੍ਮ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌸𑍍𑌮 (Grantha script)
ꦱ꧀ꦩ (Javanese script)
𑂮𑂹𑂧 (Kaithi script)
ಸ್ಮ (Kannada script)
ស្ម (Khmer script)
ສ຺ມ (Lao script)
സ്മ (Malayalam script)
ᠰᠮᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘭𑘿𑘦 (Modi script)
ᠰᠮᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧍𑧠𑧆 (Nandinagari script)
𑐳𑑂𑐩 (Newa script)
ସ୍ମ (Odia script)
ꢱ꣄ꢪ (Saurashtra script)
𑆱𑇀𑆩 (Sharada script)
𑖭𑖿𑖦 (Siddham script)
ස‍්ම (Sinhalese script)
𑪁 𑪙𑩴 (Soyombo script)
𑚨𑚶𑚢 (Takri script)
ஸ்ம (Tamil script)
స్మ (Telugu script)
สฺม (Thai script)
སྨ (Tibetan script)
𑒮𑓂𑒧 (Tirhuta script)
𑨰𑩇𑨢 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Uncertain. Often compared with Ancient Greek μήν (mḗn, “verily”) and derived from Proto-Indo-European *sme (“really, truly”).^[1] Possibly related to सम्- (sam-), सम (sama).^[2] Dunkel derives from Proto-Indo-European *s(m̥)ma (“once”) and compares Ancient Greek ἅμα (háma).^[3]

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /smɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /s̪mɐ/

Particle

स्म • (sma)^[4]^[5]

a particle indicating the past tense when used with a present-tense verb form
- c. 300 BCE, Pañcatantra 1:
  भासुरको नाम सिंहः प्रतिवसति स्म
  bhāsurako nāma siṃhaḥ prativasati sma
  Once upon a time there lived a lion named Bhāsuraka.
an expletive particle
a particle for emphasis; ever; verily
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.12.8:
  यस्त्वाम॑ग्ने ह॒विष्प॑तिर्दू॒तं दे॑व सप॒र्यति॑ ।
  तस्य॑ स्म प्रावि॒ता भ॑व ॥
  yástvā́magne havíṣpatirdūtáṃ deva saparyáti.
  tásya sma prāvitā́ bhava.
  O Agni the Deva, whichever oblation-master honours you the messenger,
  May you ever be his protector.

Usage notes

As an expletive particle, it often follows a prohibitory particle such as मा (mā́).

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μήν 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 944-5
^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “sma”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 779
^ Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →ISBN, page 707
^ Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “स्म”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
^ Monier Williams (1899) “स्म”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1271, column 2.

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μήν 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 944-5

[2] Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “sma”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 779

[3] Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →ISBN, page 707

[4] Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “स्म”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan

[5] Monier Williams (1899) “स्म”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1271, column 2.

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