कटु

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• কটু (Assamese script)
• ᬓᬝᬸ (Balinese script)
• কটু (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰘𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑀝𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ကဋု (Burmese script)
• કટુ (Gujarati script)
• ਕਟੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕𑌟𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦏꦛꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍𑂗𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಕಟು (Kannada script)
• កដុ (Khmer script)
• ກຏຸ (Lao script)
• കടു (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᠠᢞᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎𑘘𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᢉᠠᢌᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮𑦸𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑐚𑐸 (Newa script)
• କଟୁ (Odia script)
• ꢒꢜꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑆛𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖘𑖲 (Siddham script)
• කටු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜𑩦𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊𑚔𑚰 (Takri script)
• கடு (Tamil script)
• కటు (Telugu script)
• กฏุ (Thai script)
• ཀ་ཊུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑒙𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋𑨔𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Borrowed from Dravidian, ultimately from Proto-Dravidian *kaṭu (“be pungent; sting”). Compare Old Tamil 𑀓𑀝𑀼 (kaṭu).

Sanskrit grammarians tied it to the root कृत् (kṛt, “to cut”) but this is not accepted in modern scholarship.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐ.ʈú/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈkɐ.ʈu/

Adjective

कटु • (kaṭú) stem

1. bitter, acrid
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀓𑀟𑀼 (kaḍu)
• ⇒ Sanskrit: कटुक (káṭuka) (+ Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-))

Terms inherited from कटुक (káṭuka)

• Pali: kaṭuka
• Prakrit: 𑀓𑀟𑀼𑀅 (kaḍua)
  • Central:
    • Sauraseni Prakrit:
      • Gurjara Apabhramsa:
        • Old Gujarati: कडूउं (kaḍūuṃ)
          • Gojri: کوڑو (koṛo)
          • Middle Gujarati: कडूउं, कडुय, कडुवय
            • Gujarati: કડવું (kaḍvũ)
          • Marwari:

            Devanagari script: कड़वौ (kaṛvau)

            Mahajani script: 𑅕𑅲𑅯𑅒 (kṛvu)

      • Sauraseni Apabhramsa:
        • Old Hindi: करवा (karavā)
          • Hindustani: kaṛvā

            Hindi: कड़वा

            Urdu: کَڑْوَا (kaṛvā)

  • Eastern:
    • Magadhi Prakrit:
      • Old Bengali: কডুআ (kaḍuā), কডু (kaḍu)
        • Middle Bengali: কড়ুয়া (koṛuẏa)
          • Bengali: কড়া (koṛa), কড়ুয়া (koṛuẏa)
      • Maithili: kaṛū

        Devanagari script: कड़ू

        Tirhuta script: 𑒏𑒛𑓃𑒴

  • Southern:
    • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀓𑀟𑀼𑀅 (kaḍua)
      • Konkani: koḍū

        Devanagari script: कोडू (koḍū)

        Kannada script: ಕೊಡೂ

        Latin script: kodum

      • Old Marathi:

        Devanagari script: कडू (kaḍū)

        Modi script: 𑘎𑘚𑘳 (kaḍu)

        • Marathi: कडू (kaḍū)

  • Western:
    • Paisaci Prakrit:
      • Takka Apabhramsa:
        • Old Punjabi: ਕਉੜਾ (kauṛā), ਕਊਰਾ (kaūrā), ਕਵਰਾ (kavarā), ਕੜੂਆ (kaṛūā)
          • Punjabi: kauṛā

            Gurmukhi script: ਕੌੜਾ

            Shahmukhi script: کَوڑا

      • Vracada Apabhramsa:
        • Sindhi:

          Arabic script: ڪَوْڙو, ڪَڙو

          Devanagari script: कौड़ो, कड़ो

          Khudawadi script: 𑊺𑋨𑋊𑋧 (kauṛo), 𑊺𑋊𑋧 (kaṛo)

Learned borrowings from कटु (kaṭú)

• → Gujarati: કટુ (kaṭu) (learned)
• → Hindi: कटु (kaṭu) (learned)
• → Kannada: ಕಟು (kaṭu) (learned)
• → Marathi: कटू (kaṭū) (learned)
• → Odia: କଟୁ (kaṭu) (learned)

Further reading

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kaṭú -- , káṭuka”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 132
• Monier Williams (1899) “कटु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 244.