मर्कट

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মৰ্কট (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬃᬓᬝ (Balinese script)
• মর্কট (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰨𑰿𑰎𑰘 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀭𑁆𑀓𑀝 (Brahmi script)
• မရ်္ကဋ (Burmese script)
• મર્કટ (Gujarati script)
• ਮਰ੍ਕਟ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑌰𑍍𑌕𑌟 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦂꦏꦛ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂩𑂹𑂍𑂗 (Kaithi script)
• ಮರ್ಕಟ (Kannada script)
• មក៌ដ (Khmer script)
• ມຣ຺ກຏ (Lao script)
• മര്കട (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠠᡵᡬᠠᢞᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘨𑘿𑘎𑘘 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠠᠷᢉᠠᢌᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧈𑧠𑦮𑦸 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐬𑑂𑐎𑐚 (Newa script)
• ମର୍କଟ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢬ꣄ꢒꢜ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆫𑇀𑆑𑆛 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖨𑖿𑖎𑖘 (Siddham script)
• මර්‍කට (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑩼 𑪙𑩜𑩦 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚤𑚶𑚊𑚔 (Takri script)
• மர்கட (Tamil script)
• మర్కట (Telugu script)
• มรฺกฏ (Thai script)
• མ་རྐ་ཊ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒩𑓂𑒏𑒙 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨫𑩇𑨋𑨔 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐɾ.kɐ́.ʈɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐɾ.kɐ.ʈɐ/

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Sanskrit मर्क (marka)?

Sanskrit -ट (-ṭa)?

Sanskrit म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa)

Uncertain. Compare मर्क (marka, “monkey”).

• Burrow and Gundert take the word as borrowed from Dravidian; compare Malayalam മൊങ്ങ (moṅṅa), Kannada ಮಂಗ (maṅga, “ape”). Per Turner, this implies extension मर्क (marka) +‎ -ट (-ṭa). Mayrhofer is not entirely convinced.
  • Subrahmanyam considers it to be a compound mar-kaṭa with the initial being from Proto-Dravidian *maran (“tree”) and latter possibly from Tamil கட (kaṭa, “cross”), which the original meaning of "one living on trees".
• Kuiper proposes a prefixed form of a Munda term that also gave rise to किट (kiṭa, “a kind of ape”).
• Similarities to Old Chinese 沐猴 (OC *moːɡ ɡoː, “macaque”) / 母猴 (OC *mɯʔ ɡoː, “female monkey”) have also been noted, with the ultimate source language perhaps lost to history.
• Finally, some have connected the word to German Meerkatze (“guenon (a kind of monkey)”) and English meerkat; note however the form of Old High German merikazza, so any influence from Indo-Aryan would have to be exceptionally early.

The "type of bird" meaning listed by lexicographers is probably from a misinterpretation of the "monkey" meaning.

Noun

म॒र्कट॑ • (markáṭa) stem, m

1. a monkey, ape
   • c. 1200 BCE – 800 BCE, Śukla-Yajurveda (Vājasenayi Saṃhitā)
2. adjutant, Indian crane (Leptoptilos)
   • Ṣaḍviṃśa Brāhmaṇa

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of मर्कट (markáṭa)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मर्कटः markáṭaḥ	मर्कटौ / मर्कटा¹ markáṭau / markáṭā¹	मर्कटाः / मर्कटासः¹ markáṭāḥ / markáṭāsaḥ¹
Vocative	मर्कट márkaṭa	मर्कटौ / मर्कटा¹ márkaṭau / márkaṭā¹	मर्कटाः / मर्कटासः¹ márkaṭāḥ / márkaṭāsaḥ¹
Accusative	मर्कटम् markáṭam	मर्कटौ / मर्कटा¹ markáṭau / markáṭā¹	मर्कटान् markáṭān
Instrumental	मर्कटेन markáṭena	मर्कटाभ्याम् markáṭābhyām	मर्कटैः / मर्कटेभिः¹ markáṭaiḥ / markáṭebhiḥ¹
Dative	मर्कटाय markáṭāya	मर्कटाभ्याम् markáṭābhyām	मर्कटेभ्यः markáṭebhyaḥ
Ablative	मर्कटात् markáṭāt	मर्कटाभ्याम् markáṭābhyām	मर्कटेभ्यः markáṭebhyaḥ
Genitive	मर्कटस्य markáṭasya	मर्कटयोः markáṭayoḥ	मर्कटानाम् markáṭānām
Locative	मर्कटे markáṭe	मर्कटयोः markáṭayoḥ	मर्कटेषु markáṭeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Dameli: makẉui, [script needed] (makäŕ)
  • Kalami: [script needed] (makīr)
  • Kalasha: [script needed] (mŕāko), [script needed] (makŕṓŕyak)
  • Khowar: [script needed] (mukuḷ)
  • Northeast Pashayi: [script needed] (makṓṛ)
  • Phalura: máakaṛ
• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀟 (makkaḍa), 𑀫𑀁𑀓𑀟 (maṃkaḍa), 𑀫𑀁𑀓𑀡 (maṃkaṇa), 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀟𑀻 f (makkaḍī) (see there for further descendants)

Borrowed terms

• → Khotanese: makala
• → Nuristani:
  • Kamkata-viri: [script needed] (makeŕ)
  • Kamviri: [script needed] (māgŕə̃)
  • Waigali: [script needed] (mákäŕ)
• → Sogdian: [script needed] (mkrʾ)

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Not related to Etymology 1 above.

• Kuiper proposes a prefixed form of a Munda word of the form *कोडिक (koḍika), whose form has been preserved in कोलिक (kolika, “weaver; spider”) and मत्कोटक (matkoṭaka, “spider”) (whence Prakrit 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑁄𑀟𑀸 (makkoḍā)).
• Turner compares the word to मत्कोटक (matkoṭaka) and मत्कुण (matkuṇa, “bedbug”). He mentions Kuiper's proposal but is noncommital.

Noun

मर्कट • (markaṭa) stem, m

1. a spider
2. a sort of poison or venom

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of मर्कट (markaṭa)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मर्कटः markaṭaḥ	मर्कटौ / मर्कटा¹ markaṭau / markaṭā¹	मर्कटाः / मर्कटासः¹ markaṭāḥ / markaṭāsaḥ¹
Vocative	मर्कट markaṭa	मर्कटौ / मर्कटा¹ markaṭau / markaṭā¹	मर्कटाः / मर्कटासः¹ markaṭāḥ / markaṭāsaḥ¹
Accusative	मर्कटम् markaṭam	मर्कटौ / मर्कटा¹ markaṭau / markaṭā¹	मर्कटान् markaṭān
Instrumental	मर्कटेन markaṭena	मर्कटाभ्याम् markaṭābhyām	मर्कटैः / मर्कटेभिः¹ markaṭaiḥ / markaṭebhiḥ¹
Dative	मर्कटाय markaṭāya	मर्कटाभ्याम् markaṭābhyām	मर्कटेभ्यः markaṭebhyaḥ
Ablative	मर्कटात् markaṭāt	मर्कटाभ्याम् markaṭābhyām	मर्कटेभ्यः markaṭebhyaḥ
Genitive	मर्कटस्य markaṭasya	मर्कटयोः markaṭayoḥ	मर्कटानाम् markaṭānām
Locative	मर्कटे markaṭe	मर्कटयोः markaṭayoḥ	मर्कटेषु markaṭeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀟 (makkaḍa), 𑀫𑀁𑀓𑀟 (maṃkaḍa) (see there for further descendants)
• Pali: makkaṭa
  • → Lü: ᦙᦅᦎ (mkṫ)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “मर्क्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 791, column 1.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “मर्कट”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan