रन्ध्र

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

ৰন্ধ্ৰ (Assamese script)
ᬭᬦ᭄ᬥ᭄ᬭ (Balinese script)
রন্ধ্র (Bengali script)
𑰨𑰡𑰿𑰠𑰿𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀭𑀦𑁆𑀥𑁆𑀭 (Brahmi script)
ရန္ဓြ (Burmese script)
રન્ધ્ર (Gujarati script)
ਰਨ੍ਧ੍ਰ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌧𑍍𑌰 (Grantha script)
ꦫꦤ꧀ꦣꦿ (Javanese script)
𑂩𑂢𑂹𑂡𑂹𑂩 (Kaithi script)
ರನ್ಧ್ರ (Kannada script)
រន្ធ្រ (Khmer script)
ຣນ຺ຘ຺ຣ (Lao script)
രന്ധ്ര (Malayalam script)
ᡵᠠᠨᢡᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘨𑘡𑘿𑘠𑘿𑘨 (Modi script)
ᠷᠠᠨᢑᠾᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧈𑧁𑧠𑧀𑧠𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
𑐬𑐣𑑂𑐢𑑂𑐬 (Newa script)
ରନ୍ଧ୍ର (Odia script)
ꢬꢥ꣄ꢤ꣄ꢬ (Saurashtra script)
𑆫𑆤𑇀𑆣𑇀𑆫 (Sharada script)
𑖨𑖡𑖿𑖠𑖿𑖨 (Siddham script)
රන්‍ධ්‍ර (Sinhalese script)
𑩼𑩯 𑪙𑩮 𑪙𑩼 (Soyombo script)
𑚤𑚝𑚶𑚜𑚶𑚤 (Takri script)
ரந்த்⁴ர (Tamil script)
రన్ధ్ర (Telugu script)
รนฺธฺร (Thai script)
ར་ནྡྷྲ (Tibetan script)
𑒩𑒢𑓂𑒡𑓂𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
𑨫𑨝𑩇𑨜𑩇𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *lóndʰ-rom, from *lendʰ- (“loins”). Cognate with Latin lumbus, Russian ля́двея (ljádveja), Old English lenden (whence English lend). Since the semantic shift from “loins” to “fissure” seems unlikely compared to the reverse, it is possible that Sanskrit preserves the original sense of the word as “fissure”, which was lost in the other branches; thus the unattested verbal sense of the root may have been *“to split apart” or similar.

An alternative etymology compares Old English rendan (“to rend, tear, cut, lacerate, cut down”) (modern English rend) and Albanian k-rënd (“cut-up leaves; tinder”), which would point to PIE *(H)rendʰ- (“to cut, split apart, tear”),^[1] but the modern consensus on rend and its Germanic cognates is that they are related to Proto-Germanic *hrindaną (“to push”), in which the initial *h (< PIE *k or *ḱ) precludes the possibility of relationship with रन्ध्र (rándhra). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɾɐ́n.dʱɾɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɾɐn̪.d̪ʱɾɐ/

Noun

रन्ध्र • (rándhra) stem, n

a slit, split, opening, aperture, hole, chasm, fissure, cavity
the vulva
a defect, fault, flaw, imperfection

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of रन्ध्र (rándhra)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	रन्ध्रम् rándhram	रन्ध्रे rándhre	रन्ध्राणि / रन्ध्रा¹ rándhrāṇi / rándhrā¹
Vocative	रन्ध्र rándhra	रन्ध्रे rándhre	रन्ध्राणि / रन्ध्रा¹ rándhrāṇi / rándhrā¹
Accusative	रन्ध्रम् rándhram	रन्ध्रे rándhre	रन्ध्राणि / रन्ध्रा¹ rándhrāṇi / rándhrā¹
Instrumental	रन्ध्रेण rándhreṇa	रन्ध्राभ्याम् rándhrābhyām	रन्ध्रैः / रन्ध्रेभिः¹ rándhraiḥ / rándhrebhiḥ¹
Dative	रन्ध्राय rándhrāya	रन्ध्राभ्याम् rándhrābhyām	रन्ध्रेभ्यः rándhrebhyaḥ
Ablative	रन्ध्रात् rándhrāt	रन्ध्राभ्याम् rándhrābhyām	रन्ध्रेभ्यः rándhrebhyaḥ
Genitive	रन्ध्रस्य rándhrasya	रन्ध्रयोः rándhrayoḥ	रन्ध्राणाम् rándhrāṇām
Locative	रन्ध्रे rándhre	रन्ध्रयोः rándhrayoḥ	रन्ध्रेषु rándhreṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

रन्ध्रान्वेषण (randhrānveṣaṇa)
ब्रह्मरन्ध्र (brahmarandhra, “an aperture in the crown of the head”)

Descendants

→ Bengali: রন্ধ্র (rondhro)
→ Hindi: रंध्र (randhra)
Pali: randha
→ Tamil: ரந்திரம் (rantiram)
→ Telugu: రంధ్రము (randhramu)

References

^ Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q. (2006) The Oxford introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world, Oxford University Press, page 374: “A Germanic-Indic isogloss secures *rendh- ‘rend’ (e.g. NE rend, Skt rándhram ‘opening, split, hole’).”