# शुक
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* শুক (Assamese script)
* ᬰᬸᬓ (Balinese script)
* শুক (Bengali script)
* 𑰫𑰲𑰎 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀰𑀼𑀓 (Brahmi script)
* ၐုက (Burmese script)
* શુક (Gujarati script)
* ਸ਼ੁਕ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌶𑍁𑌕 (Grantha script)
* ꦯꦸꦏ (Javanese script)
* 𑂬𑂳𑂍 (Kaithi script)
* ಶುಕ (Kannada script)
* ឝុក (Khmer script)
* ຨຸກ (Lao script)
* ശുക (Malayalam script)
* ᡧᡠᡬᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘫𑘳𑘎 (Modi script)
* ᠱᠤᢉᠠ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧋𑧔𑦮 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐱𑐸𑐎 (Newa script)
* ଶୁକ (Odia script)
* ꢯꢸꢒ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆯𑆶𑆑 (Sharada script)
* 𑖫𑖲𑖎 (Siddham script)
* ශුක (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩿𑩒𑩜 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚧𑚰𑚊 (Takri script)
* ஶுக (Tamil script)
* శుక (Telugu script)
* ศุก (Thai script)
* ཤུ་ཀ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒬𑒳𑒏 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨮𑨃𑨋 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /ɕu.kɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈɕu.kɐ/

### Etymology 1

Uncertain.
Probably named for its ability to speak, derived from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćawk- (“to call”) (compare the palatalised Proto-Iranian *cawč-), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewk-; ultimately onomatopoeic. Cognate with Late Khotanese [script needed] (sūch-, “to call”), Younger Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬊𐬗𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀 (saocaiia, “mockery”), Lithuanian šaũkti (“to shout”), Latvian saukt (“to call”), Tocharian B śauśä (“calls”).
Grassmann and Monier-Williams instead derive it from the root शुच् (śuc, “to purify”), believing the bird to be named for its bright colour; this is phonologically sound (indeed, the Indo-European root is formally identical for both terms) but rejected by Mayrhofer due to the differing semantics of the Khotanese cognate. Pokorny instead relates this word to Proto-Indo-European *kū-, but this is phonologically difficult since the initial consonant would need to undergo palatalisation but no *-e- can be reconstructed for this word nor is analogy to a verb form likely since none is attested.

#### Noun

शुक॑ • (śúka) stem, m
* parrot
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.50.12:शुके॑षु मे हरि॒माणं॑ रोप॒णाका॑सु दध्मसि अथो॑ हारिद्र॒वेषु॑ मे हरि॒माणं॒ नि द॑ध्मसिśúkeṣu me harimā́ṇaṃ ropaṇā́kāsu dadhmasi atho hāridravéṣu me harimā́ṇaṃ ní dadhmasi1890 translation by Ralph T. H. GriffithTo parrots and to starlings let us give away my yellowness, Or this my yellowness let us transfer to Haritâla trees.
* a male given name

##### Descendants

* Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀲𑀼𑀓 (suka)
** Prakrit: 𑀲𑀼𑀅 (sua), 𑀲𑀼𑀕 (suga), 𑀲𑀼𑀓 (suka) (see there for further descendants)
* Pali: suka

###### Borrowed terms

* → Bhojpuri:
    Devanagari script: (semi-learned) सूगा (sūgā), सुग्गा (suggā)
    Kaithi script: (semi-learned) 𑂮𑂴𑂏𑂰 (sūgā), 𑂮𑂳𑂏𑂹𑂏𑂰 (suggā)
* → Bengali: শুক (śuk)
* → Hindi: शुक (śuk), (semi-learned) सुग्गा (suggā)
* → Kannada: ಶುಕ (śuka)
* → Magahi:
    Devanagari script: (semi-learned) सुग्गा (suggā)
    Kaithi script: (semi-learned) 𑂮𑂳𑂏𑂹𑂏𑂰 (suggā)
* → Malayalam: ശുകം (śukaṁ)
* → Odia: ଶୁକ (śuka)
* → Punjabi: ਸ਼ੁਕ (śuk)
* → Telugu: శుకము (śukamu)

### Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Noun

शुक • (śúka) stem, n
* name of several plants
** siris, lebbek tree, Albizia lebbeck
*** c. 400 CE – 700 CE, Amarasiṃha, Amarakośa 2.181.1:ग्रन्थिपर्णं शुकं बर्हं पुष्पं स्थौणेयकुक्कुरेgranthiparṇaṃ śukaṃ barhaṃ puṣpaṃ sthauṇeyakukkure
** shrub of the species Ziziphus oenopolia
* Synonym of ग्रन्थिपर्ण (granthiparṇa, “a kind of perfume”)
* name of a mythical weapon
** c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata

##### Declension
### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) “śúkaḥ”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen‎ (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 352
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “śúka-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 644
* ↑ Cheung, Johnny (2007) “*sauč$^2$”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 340
* ↑ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “1474”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 1474

### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “शुक”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1079.
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “śúka”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 704
* Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “śuka”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.