# नीक्षण
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* নীক্ষণ (Assamese script)
* ᬦᬷᬓ᭄ᬱᬡ (Balinese script)
* নীক্ষণ (Bengali script)
* 𑰡𑰱𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀦𑀻𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀡 (Brahmi script)
* နီက္ၑဏ (Burmese script)
* નીક્ષણ (Gujarati script)
* ਨੀਕ੍ਸ਼ਣ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌨𑍀𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌣 (Grantha script)
* ꦤꦷꦏ꧀ꦰꦟ (Javanese script)
* 𑂢𑂲𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂝 (Kaithi script)
* ನೀಕ್ಷಣ (Kannada script)
* នីក្ឞណ (Khmer script)
* ນີກ຺ຩຓ (Lao script)
* നീക്ഷണ (Malayalam script)
* ᠨᡳᡳᡬᢢᠠᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘡𑘲𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘜 (Modi script)
* ᠨᠢᠢᢉᢔᠠᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧁𑧓𑦮𑧠𑧌𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐣𑐷𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐞 (Newa script)
* ନୀକ୍ଷଣ (Odia script)
* ꢥꢷꢒ꣄ꢰꢠ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆤𑆵𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆟 (Sharada script)
* 𑖡𑖱𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖜 (Siddham script)
* නීක්‍ෂණ (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩯𑩑𑩛𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑩪 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚝𑚯𑚊𑚶𑚘 (Takri script)
* நீக்ஷண (Tamil script)
* నీక్షణ (Telugu script)
* นีกฺษณ (Thai script)
* ནཱི་ཀྵ་ཎ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒢𑒲𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒝 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨝𑨁𑨊𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨘 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

From the root निक्ष् (nikṣ) +‎ -अन (-ana), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *nayȷ́žʰ- (“to pierce”), with unetymological vowel lengthening. Related to नेक्षण (nekṣaṇa) (attested in Atharvaveda, which has regular guṇation of the root) and cognate to Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬰𐬀 (naēza, “tip of a needle”). Also compare Persian نیش (niš, “lance”), نیزه (“spear”).

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /níːk.ʂɐ.ɳɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈn̪iːk.ʂɐ.ɳɐ/

### Noun

नीक्षण • (nī́kṣaṇa) stem, n (Rigvedic)
* a long stick, possibly used variously as a spit, a fork and a ladle
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.162.13:यन् नीक्षणं मांस्पचन्या उखाया या पात्राणि यूष्ण आसेचनानि । ऊष्मण्यापिधाना चरूणाम् अङ्काः सूनाः परि भूषन्त्य् अश्वम् ॥yan nīkṣaṇaṃ māṃspacanyā ukhāyā yā pātrāṇi yūṣṇa āsecanāni. ūṣmaṇyāpidhānā carūṇām aṅkāḥ sūnāḥ pari bhūṣanty aśvam.The ladle of the meat-cooking cauldron, the vessels out of which the broth is sprinkled, The warming-pots, the covers of the dishes, hooks, carving-boards,-all these attend the Charger.

#### Declension
### References

* ↑ Ralph T. H. Griffith (1896) The Hymns of the Rigveda, page 93: “The trial-fork of the flesh-cooking caldron […]”
* ↑ Monier Williams (1899) “नीक्षण”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 565.
* ↑ Ramendra Nath Nandi (2017) An Outline of the Aryan Civilization, Routledge, →ISBN, →OCLC, →ISBN:One of the stanzas in this hymn (1.162.13) mentions the cauldron for cooking the meat (māṃspacanyāḥ ukhāyāḥ), the fork for stirring up the meat inside the cauldron (nīkṣaṇa), the vessel for distributing the gravy (yūṣnaḥ āsecanāni), the lid of the cauldron for preventing the escape of the flavour (ūṣmaṇyā apidhānā), and a hooked saucepan for offering some special oblations (carūṇāṃ aṃkāḥ).
* ↑ Arthur Berriedale Keith, Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1912) Vedic index of names and subjects, volume 1, London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, W. [Published for the Government of India], →OCLC, page 458: “Nekṣaṇa occurs once in the Atharvaveda, where a ‘spit’ seems to be meant. In the Rigveda Nīkṣaṇa occurs, and must have the same sense; Oldenberg inclines to think that this word refers to the ‘inspection’ of food, to see if it is ready (as from ni-īkṣ, ‘look into’).”
* ↑ Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “नीक्षण”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 934

### Further reading

* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “NIKṢ”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 41
* Lubotsky, Alexander (2011) “niks.”, in The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University