वाच्

See also: वच् and वाचा

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱাচ্ (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬵᬘ᭄ (Balinese script)
• বাচ্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰯𑰓𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀸𑀘𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ဝါစ် (Burmese script)
• વાચ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਵਾਚ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌾𑌚𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦴꦕ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂰𑂒𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ವಾಚ್ (Kannada script)
• វាច៑ (Khmer script)
• ວາຈ຺ (Lao script)
• വാച് (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢜ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘰𑘓𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠠᢗᢋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧑𑦳𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐵𑐔𑑂 (Newa script)
• ଵାଚ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢮꢵꢗ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆳𑆖𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖯𑖓𑖿 (Siddham script)
• වාච් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩛𑩡 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚭𑚏𑚶 (Takri script)
• வாச் (Tamil script)
• వాచ్ (Telugu script)
• วาจฺ (Thai script)
• ཝཱ་ཙ྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒰𑒔𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨊𑨣𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *wā́kš (“speech, voice”), from Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs (“speech, voice”), from *wekʷ- (“to speak”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬬𐬁𐬑𐬱 (vāxš), Ancient Greek ὄψ (óps), Latin vōx, Persian آواز (âvâz), English voice (via Latin and Old French).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑ́ːt͡ɕ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ʋɑːt͡ɕ/

Noun

वाच् • (vā́c) stem, f

1. speech, voice, talk, language (also of animals), sound (also of inanimate objects as of the stones used for pressing, of a drum etc.)
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.76.1:

     आ भा॑त्य॒ग्निरु॒षसा॒मनी॑क॒मुद्विप्रा॑णां देव॒या वाचो॑ अस्थुः।
     अ॒र्वाञ्चा॑ नू॒नं र॑थ्ये॒ह या॑तं पीपि॒वांस॑मश्विना घ॒र्ममच्छ॑॥

     ā́ bhātyagníruṣásāmánīkamúdvíprāṇāṃ devayā́ vā́co asthuḥ.
     arvā́ñcā nūnáṃ rathyehá yātaṃ pīpivā́ṃsamaśvinā gharmámáccha.

     Agni light sup the face of the dawns; the devout voices of the pious have risen up; therefore, Aśvins, lords of the chariot, descending, come hither today to the splendid sacrifice, perfect in all its parts.

   वाचम् (vācam)-√ṛ, √īr or √iṣ — to raise the voice, utter a sound, cry, call

2. a word, saying, phrase, sentence, statement, asseveration

   वाचं (vācaṃ)-√vad — to speak words

   वाचं व्या (vācaṃ vyā)-√hṛ — to utter words

   वाचं (vācaṃ)-√dā +dative — to address words to

   वाचा सत्यं (vācā satyaṃ)-√kṛ — to promise verbally in marriage, plight troth

Proper noun

वाच् • (vāc) stem, f

1. Speech personified as the goddess of speech Vāc

Declension

Feminine root-stem declension of वाच् (vā́c)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वाक् vā́k	वाचौ / वाचा¹ vā́cau / vā́cā¹	वाचः vā́caḥ
Vocative	वाक् vā́k	वाचौ / वाचा¹ vā́cau / vā́cā¹	वाचः vā́caḥ
Accusative	वाचम् vā́cam	वाचौ / वाचा¹ vā́cau / vā́cā¹	वाचः vā́caḥ
Instrumental	वाचा vācā́	वाग्भ्याम् vāgbhyā́m	वाग्भिः vāgbhíḥ
Dative	वाचे vācé	वाग्भ्याम् vāgbhyā́m	वाग्भ्यः vāgbhyáḥ
Ablative	वाचः vācáḥ	वाग्भ्याम् vāgbhyā́m	वाग्भ्यः vāgbhyáḥ
Genitive	वाचः vācáḥ	वाचोः vācóḥ	वाचाम् vācā́m
Locative	वाचि vācí	वाचोः vācóḥ	वाक्षु vākṣú
Notes	¹Vedic

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “वाच्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0936/1.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 539