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________________ ETYMOLOGICAL NOTES H. C. Bhayani 1. vedhamika / vedhimaCDIAL. 12092 has given vedhamika - a kind of bread or cake' (recorded only in the lexicons) as the source word for H. bervi, bervi, berhai 'cake of flour mixed or filled with pulse or meal'. In Gujarati vedhami (f.) is currently quite popular as a sweet dish. The word derives from Pk. vedhima- + -ia. vedhima. 'prepared by rolling up or enrapping' is formed from vedh- (Sk. vest-) + suffix -ima-. For the suffix -ima- see Pischel $ 602, where about 20 instances are cited and a few more can be added to that list. The suffix has clearly distinguishable three or four semantic shades. In Modern Gujarati we have, besides vedhmi, three more similarly formed words belonging to the same semantic group. Ormu (n.), curmu (n.) and khadmi. The first two are sweetmeats, the third a savoury. Ormu primarily meant 'that (sweet) which is prepared by pouring down (wheat groats) in boiling water'. Or- means 'to pour down in a receptacle.' Curmu means that (sweet) which is prepared by pounding (baked loaf): Cur- means 'to reduce to powder by pounding'. Vedhmi means 'that (sweet) which is prepared by enrapping' (a flour cake around what is stuffed). Khadmi (or dialectically khodvi) means 'that (savoury) which is prepared by pounding(with a pestle)' (although at present the technique of preparing is different). I have discussed the etymology of vedhmi etc, in my earlier writings : Vagvyapara (Gujarati), 1954, pp. 45-46; reproduced in Sabdakatha (first edition, 1963, p. 35; sec. ed. 1983, PP. 88-89); Three Old Marathi Suffixes' (Vidya, 12,2, pp. 1-10, Ahmedabad 1969). 2. Pk. veccai Turner posits vetyayati as the source for Pk. viccai, veccai, 'spends', H. becna, G. vecvu etc. 'to sell', on the basis of Sk. vetana- hire, wages', etc. (CDIAL. 12100). He considers Bloch's derivation from Sk. vyayati or Schwartzschild's analogical explanation (veccvikk- after the type muccai~ mukka-, paccai-pakka-) as much iess probable. I suggest Sk. vyatyayati 'causes to pass, hence 'spends' as a more probable alternative. Sk. vyatyayati, Pk. viccei, viccai, veccai and hence G. vece etc. This suggestion obviates hypothetical assumptions and phonological difficulties. The semantic change 'to cause to pass'> 'to spend' > to sell' is also easily accountable.
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________________ Etymological Notes 3. Pk. ucchu, H. bura etc. (Some cases of Vocalic Assimilation in MIA and NIA) Corresponding to Sk. iksu- 'sugarcane', we have ucchu in Pali and Prakrit. NIA derivatives (H. ukh, M. us etc.) have been given under CDIAL 1551. There Turner has observed that 'variation in the initial syllable of, i, u, and ri- suggests an original but this is without other confirmation or support'. Vol. II-1996 There is, however, some evidence to support Pischel's explanation of the change on the basis of vocalic assimilation: i.e. the initial i- of icchu changed to uunder the influence of the vowel in the second syllable (PG. SS 117). He has cited Sk. isu Pk. usu- and Sk. sisu-> Pk. susu- (in Pk. susumara-> Sk. sisurnara-) and other such instances. We can point to a few instances of this change from NIA. H- ugli, P. unguli (CDIAL 135) corresponding to Sk. anguli, Pk. amguli evidences this type of change. H- bud Against i vowel in the first syllable of Sk. bindu- 'drop', its NIA. derivatives like. H- bud and some others in other NIA. languages has u in the first syllable. Turner (CDIAL 9240) has assumed *bundu- as the source form for the latter words. 15 We suggest that Sk. bindu, Pk. bimdu changed to bumdu due to vowel assimilation. Hence it is unnecessary to assume bundu as the source. H- bura H- bura 'wicked, bad' and its cognates in some other NIA languages, as noted by Turner in his Dictionary of the Nepali Language, (s. v. buro) is I think another. instance of such vowel assimilation. It derives from Sk. virupa-, Pk. viruva (a)- changed to *vuruvaa-, which became bura etc. Further in a number of Sanskrit loan words in NIA we similarly find the i- of the initial syllable changed to u- under the influence of an u in a subsequent syllable. Examples: G. sukan 'omen', Sk. sakuna G. rugnath a personal name', Sk. raghunatha Old G. phurasarama 'a personal name', Sk. parasurama Old G. tura Sk. taru. occurring in Gurjararasavali Raj. muradhara-, Sk. marudhara.
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________________ 16 H. C. Bhayani Nirgrantha 4. samphetaSampheta is a technical term of dramaturgy. It is either a type of Arabhati Vrtti or a Sandhyanga of the Vimarsa Sandhi (Natyasastra of Bharata, Natakalaksanaratnakosa, Kavyanusasana of Hemacandra, Sahityadarpana, etc.). As Vitti it is said to be marked by Vira, Raudra and Adbhuta, associated with fights, and duels etc. (Sagaranandin). It is an encounter of the adversaries relating to show of bravery or learning (Hemacandra). As Sandhyanga it is explained as an angry utterance (Sagaranandin). The spelling varies as sampheta, samspheta, samphota. Of these the last two are based on wrong reading or reinterpretation. The root smit is recorded with the meaning to show disrespect' ("Dhatupatha', 32, 37) or 'to go'. Pk. bhid- derived from it means 'to confront in battle, fight' etc. (CDIAL : under bhit- 9490; abhit- 1230; sambhit-12969). Samsmit developed on the one hand as Pk. sambhid- and as *sampheda- on the other. In the latter case -m- in the cluster -msm- is unvoiced and becomes up. under the influence of voiceless -s-, which becomes -h- and consequently we have development -msm-> -mph-. We can compare here tupha (= tuppha) < tusma. of the Eastern Asokan. Devoicing of the nasal in contact with s- and the aspiration of the resulting stop occurs also in the development Sk. -sn- > -ttha- (e.g. trsna. > tittha, visnu-> vitthu-, vrsni. > vitthi. etc. (Harivamsapurana, ed. L. Alsdorf, Hamburg, 1936, Introduction, p. 135). Thus sampheta- is a Samskritization of sampheda. <*samsmeta-. Several other terms, also of dramaturgy, are similarly derived originally from Prakrit e.g. nataka, durmal(Wika, silpaka, srigadita, sattaka, vidusaka, avahittha, bibboka, mottayita, kilikincita- etc. 5. Pk. addhaakkali. Hemacandra has recorded in his Desinamamala (1, 45), addhayakkali in the sense of '(standing) with arms akimbo.' The form is attayakkali according to the Paialacchi (728). The verse given by Hemacandra to illustrate the use of words noted in 1, 45, which includes 3 tearft is as follows : araviMdarAjarAura-NIsAsaMtaM kayaDvayakaliA / agaNaMto avarattaya-aNarAmaya-dutthio havasi taM pi / 'You, standing with arms akimbo, who is disregarding this girl giving out long and hot sighs, also will be miserable on account of repentence and restlessness.' The word is derived from Sk. ardha. 'half and cakrala- 'circle, circular (Pk. cakkalaya=Sk. vartula-, DN. 3.20; compare also Pk. cakkalia = Sk. vartulita-). When one stands with arms akimbo, a half circle is formed on both the sides, attayakkali is the result of the usual scribal error of confusing ddh- and -tt
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________________ Vol. II-1996 Etymological Notes In the light of the etymology suggested here, Doshi's surmise ("Desi Sabda Samgrah,' Notes, f. 32) of deriving the word from supposed Sk. ardhaka-kari is to be rejected. REFERENCES : R. L. Turner, Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages. London. (CDIAL) R. Pischel Comparative Grammar of Prakrit Languages. Delhi (PG). M. Modi and Others (ed.): Gurjararasavali, Baroda 1981. Jayanta Kothari Madhyakalin Gujarati Sabdakosa, Ahmedabad 1995. 17