𑀓𑁂𑀭

Prakrit

Alternative forms

• -𑀓𑁂𑀭 (-kera) — as a suffix
• 𑀓𑁂𑀭𑀬 (keraya) — with -𑀬- (-ya-)
• 𑀓𑀸𑀭𑀺𑀬 (kāriya) — whence descendats with -ā̆-

Etymology

Probably grammaticalized from Sanskrit कार्य (kārya, “effect, end, aim”) (from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kā́ryas (“to be done”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷór-yo-s, from the root *kʷer- (“to do, make”)), through metathesis of -āry- > -āyr- > -er-. Doublet of 𑀓𑀚𑁆𑀚 (kajja).

Adjective

𑀓𑁂𑀭 (kera) (Devanagari केर, Kannada ಕೇರ) (Śaurasenī, Māhārāṣṭrī, Māgadhī)

1. a suffix appended to nouns and particularly to pronouns to indicate possession

   Sauraseni ‎𑀫𑀫 (mama, “of me”, genitive of 𑀅𑀳𑀁 (ahaṃ)) + ‎𑀓𑁂𑀭 (kera) → ‎𑀫𑀫𑀓𑁂𑀭 (mamakera, “my, concerning me”)

Descendants

In many descendants, the -k- is lost since this word was considered to be fused with the preceding noun/pronoun, in which case the -k- was intervocalic and regularly lenited and, eventually, deleted. Descendants with -ā̆- are from the non-metathesized (possible semi-learned) variant in 𑀓𑀸𑀭𑀺𑀬 (kāriya).

Applied to all nouns:

• Eastern:
  • Maithili: केर (kēr)
  • Bengali: -এর (-er)
  • Assamese: -অৰ (-or)
  • Odia: -ର (-ra)
• Central:
  • Old Hindi: कर (kara), केरा (kerā), केरी (kerī) (indicating genitive of possession)
  • Old Gujarati: केर (kera)

Applied only to pronouns:

• Apabhramsa: मेर (mera), महारिय (mahāriya), अम्हार (amhāra), तुहर (tuhara), तुम्हार (tumhāra) (see there for further descendants)