वर्ण

See also: वरुण, व्रण, and व्राण

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वर्ण (várṇa). Doublet of बान (bān).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /ʋəɾɳ/, [ʋɐɾɳ]

Noun

वर्ण • (varṇ) m

color
Synonym: रंग (raṅg)
race (ethnic group, often categorized by skin colour)
caste, class
letter
वर्णमाला ― varṇamālā ― alphabet
(phonetics) a phone

Declension

Declension of *वर्ण* (masc cons-stem)
	singular	plural
direct	वर्ण varṇ	वर्ण varṇ
oblique	वर्ण varṇ	वर्णों varṇõ
vocative	वर्ण varṇ	वर्णो varṇo

Derived terms

वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
वर्णहीन (varṇahīn)
वर्णांध (varṇāndh)
वर्णात्मक (varṇātmak)
वर्णानुक्रम (varṇānukram)
सवर्ण (savarṇ)

References

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

Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वर्ण (várṇa).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʋəɾ.ɳə/

Noun

वर्ण • (varṇa) m

colour
Synonym: रंग (raṅga)
complexion
कृष्णवर्ण
kruṣṇavarṇa
dark complexion
letter

Derived terms

वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
वर्णानुक्रम (varṇānukram)
वर्णीय (varṇīy)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

ৱৰ্ণ (Assamese script)
ᬯᬃᬡ (Balinese script)
বর্ণ (Bengali script)
𑰪𑰨𑰿𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀡 (Brahmi script)
ဝရ်္ဏ (Burmese script)
વર્ણ (Gujarati script)
ਵਰ੍ਣ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌵𑌰𑍍𑌣 (Grantha script)
ꦮꦂꦟ (Javanese script)
𑂫𑂩𑂹𑂝 (Kaithi script)
ವರ್ಣ (Kannada script)
វណ៌ (Khmer script)
ວຣ຺ຓ (Lao script)
വര്ണ (Malayalam script)
ᠸᠠᡵᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (Modi script)
ᠸᠠᠷᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧊𑧈𑧠𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
𑐰𑐬𑑂𑐞 (Newa script)
ଵର୍ଣ (Odia script)
ꢮꢬ꣄ꢠ (Saurashtra script)
𑆮𑆫𑇀𑆟 (Sharada script)
𑖪𑖨𑖿𑖜 (Siddham script)
වර්‍ණ (Sinhalese script)
𑩾𑩼 𑪙𑩪 (Soyombo script)
𑚦𑚤𑚶𑚘 (Takri script)
வர்ண (Tamil script)
వర్ణ (Telugu script)
วรฺณ (Thai script)
ཝ་རྞ (Tibetan script)
𑒫𑒩𑓂𑒝 (Tirhuta script)
𑨭𑨫𑩇𑨘 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɐ́ɾ.ɳɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ʋɐɾ.ɳɐ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *wárnas, from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”). By surface analysis, from the root वृ (vṛ, “cover”) +‎ -न (-na). Compare वृणोति (vṛṇoti, “to cover”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 (var^ənah, “covering”), English warn.

Noun

वर्ण • (várṇa) stem, m

covering, cloak, mantle
cover, lid
outward appearance, exterior, figure, form, shape, color
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda
color of the face, (esp. good color or complexion), luster, beauty
color, tint, dye, pigment
1. (by extension) race, species, kind, caste
the order or arrangement of a song or poem

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of वर्ण
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	वर्णः (várṇaḥ)	वर्णौ (várṇau) वर्णा¹ (várṇā¹)	वर्णाः (várṇāḥ) वर्णासः¹ (várṇāsaḥ¹)
accusative	वर्णम् (várṇam)	वर्णौ (várṇau) वर्णा¹ (várṇā¹)	वर्णान् (várṇān)
instrumental	वर्णेन (várṇena)	वर्णाभ्याम् (várṇābhyām)	वर्णैः (várṇaiḥ) वर्णेभिः¹ (várṇebhiḥ¹)
dative	वर्णाय (várṇāya)	वर्णाभ्याम् (várṇābhyām)	वर्णेभ्यः (várṇebhyaḥ)
ablative	वर्णात् (várṇāt)	वर्णाभ्याम् (várṇābhyām)	वर्णेभ्यः (várṇebhyaḥ)
genitive	वर्णस्य (várṇasya)	वर्णयोः (várṇayoḥ)	वर्णानाम् (várṇānām)
locative	वर्णे (várṇe)	वर्णयोः (várṇayoḥ)	वर्णेषु (várṇeṣu)
vocative	वर्ण (várṇa)	वर्णौ (várṇau) वर्णा¹ (várṇā¹)	वर्णाः (várṇāḥ) वर्णासः¹ (várṇāsaḥ¹)

¹Vedic

Derived terms

दुर्वर्ण (durvarṇa)
वर्णक (varṇaka)
वर्णन (varṇana)
वर्णना (varṇanā)
वर्णनीय (varṇanīya)
वर्णमाला (varṇamālā)
वर्णयति (varṇayati)
वर्णिका (varṇikā)
वर्णित (varṇita)
वार्ण (vārṇa)
वार्णिका (vārṇikā)
सवर्ण (savarṇa)
सुवर्ण (suvarṇa)

Etymology 2

Probably a semantic extension of the "color, species" meaning above.

Noun

वर्ण • (várṇa) stem, m

a letter, sound, vowel, syllable, word
a musical sound or note (also applied to the voice of animals)
praise, commendation, renown, glory

Descendants

Prakrit: 𑀯𑀡𑁆𑀡 (vaṇṇa)
- Gujarati: વાન (vān)
- Hindi: बान (bān)
- Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘰𑘜 (vāṇa), 𑘪𑘰𑘜𑘹𑘽 (vāṇeṃ), 𑘪𑘰𑘡 (vāna)
  - Marathi: वाण (vāṇ)
- → Tamil: வண்ணம் (vaṇṇam) (or from Pali)
- → Telugu: వన్నె (vanne)
- → Kannada: ಬಣ್ಣ (baṇṇa)
Pali: vaṇṇa
- → Burmese: ဝဏ္ဏ (wanna.)
- → Kannada: ಬಣ್ಣ (baṇṇa, “color”)
- → Khmer: វណ្ណ (vannaʼ)
- → Tamil: வண்ணம் (vaṇṇam) (or from Prakrit)
→ Assamese: বৰ্ণ (borno)
→ Early Assamese: বৰণ (boroṇo)
- Assamese: বৰণ (boron)
→ Bengali: বরন (boron), বর্ণ (borno)
- → Santali: ᱵᱳᱨᱳᱱ (boron)
→ English: varna
→ Gujarati: વર્ણ (varṇ)
→ Hindi: वर्ण (varṇ)
→ Kannada: ವರ್ಣ (varṇa)
→ Khmer: ពណ៌ (pɔə)
→ Madurese: bârna
→ Malay: warna (ورنا), rona (رونا) (through metathesis)
- Indonesian: warna
→ Marathi: वर्ण (varṇa)
→ Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘨𑘿𑘜 (varṇa)
→ Old Javanese: warṇa
- > Javanese: ꦮꦂꦤ (warna) (inherited)
- → Balinese: ᬯᬃᬡ (warna)
→ Tamil: வர்ணம் (varṇam) (learned)
→ Telugu: వర్ణము (varṇamu)
→ Thai: วรรณ (wan)

References

“व॑र्ण” in Carl Cappeller, A Sanskrit–English Dictionary: Based upon the St. Petersburg Lexicons, Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, 1891, →OCLC, page 475, column 2.
Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “वर्ण”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 271
Monier Williams (1899) “Várṇa”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 924, column 2.
Horace Hayman Wilson, A dictionary in Sanscrit and English, 2nd ed., Calcutta: Education Press, Circular Road, 1832, page 737
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 517-518
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 154