वाम्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Etymology 1

    Derived from Proto-Indo-Iranian *waH, from Proto-Indo-European *woh₁ (you two, acc./dat./gen.). Compare Proto-Slavic *vȃ (you two).

    It is possible that वा () in Rigveda 4.41.2 means "of you two" (it has also been interpreted as "or"), but instead of being an archaism, it might also have lost its -m because the next word starts with m-.

    Pronunciation

    Pronoun

    वाम् • (vām)

    1. enclitic accusative/dative/genitive dual of युष्मद् (yuṣmad): "(of/to) you two"

    Etymology 2

      Derived from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wáH, from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁ (we two). Compare Old Avestan 𐬬𐬁 () and Proto-Slavic *vě.

      Pronunciation

      Pronoun

      वाम् • (vā́m) (Rigvedic)

      1. nominative dual of अस्मद् (asmad): "we two"
      Usage notes

      Only occurs in Rigveda 6.55.1, later आवम् (āvám) and आवाम् (āvā́m) are used.

      References

      • Monier Williams (1899), “वाम्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, [], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 941, column 1.
      • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 543