# लवङ्ग
## Sanskrit
### Alternative forms

* লৱঙ্গ (Assamese script)
* ᬮᬯᬗ᭄ᬕ (Balinese script)
* লবঙ্গ (Bengali script)
* 𑰩𑰪𑰒𑰿𑰐 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀮𑀯𑀗𑁆𑀕 (Brahmi script)
* လဝင်္ဂ (Burmese script)
* લવઙ્ગ (Gujarati script)
* ਲਵਙ੍ਗ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌲𑌵𑌙𑍍𑌗 (Grantha script)
* ꦭꦮꦔ꧀ꦒ (Javanese script)
* 𑂪𑂫𑂑𑂹𑂏 (Kaithi script)
* ಲವಙ್ಗ (Kannada script)
* លវង្គ (Khmer script)
* ລວງ຺ຄ (Lao script)
* ലവങ്ഗ (Malayalam script)
* ᠯᠠᠸᠠᢛᡤᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘩𑘪𑘒𑘿𑘐 (Modi script)
* ᠯᠠᠸᠠᢊᠺᠠ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧉𑧊𑦲𑧠𑦰 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐮𑐰𑐒𑑂𑐐 (Newa script)
* ଲଵଙ୍ଗ (Odia script)
* ꢭꢮꢖ꣄ꢔ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆬𑆮𑆕𑇀𑆓 (Sharada script)
* 𑖩𑖪𑖒𑖿𑖐 (Siddham script)
* ලවඞ‍්ග (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩽𑩾𑩠 𑪙𑩞 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚥𑚦𑚎𑚶𑚌 (Takri script)
* லவங்க³ (Tamil script)
* లవఙ్గ (Telugu script)
* ลวงฺค (Thai script)
* ལ་ཝ་ངྒ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒪𑒫𑒓𑓂𑒑 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨬𑨭𑨏𑩇𑨍 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

Borrowed from Malayo-Polynesian.
The etymology has been standardly supported by comparison to Old Javanese lawaṅga. However, the Old Javanese term is attested in the Rāmāyaṇa Kakawin, which is based on and closely follows the Sanskrit Bhaṭṭikāvya, and so is likely to have borrowed the term from Sanskrit per Zumbroich. However, Zumbroich notes the preponderance of many more Malayo-Polynesian cognates which do not appear to be loaned from Sanskrit but do not always refer to "clove", including Indonesian bunga lawang (literally “nail flower”), Balinese [script needed] (wuŋa lawaŋ), Malay kulit lawang (“kind of cinnamon tree”), Gayo [Term?] (lawaŋ, “kind of tree whose bark tastes like clove”), Acehnese [script needed] (kulet lawaŋ, “id.”), Minangkabau [script needed] (lawaŋ, “id.”), etc.; ultimately, the word seems to refer to the tree Cinnamomum culitlawan, whose bark has a strong clove-like smell.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /l̪ɐˈʋɐŋ.ɡɐ/

### Noun

लवङ्ग • (lavaṅga) stem, n
* clove (Syzygium aromaticum)
** 200 BCE – 1200, Kāvya literature

#### Descendants

* Pali: lavaṅga
* Prakrit: 𑀮𑀯𑀁𑀕 (lavaṃga) (see there for further descendants)

##### Borrowed terms

* → Bengali: লবঙ্গ (loboṅgo)
* → Kannada: ಲವಂಗ (lavaṅga)
* → Marathi: लवंग (lavaṅga)
* → Old Javanese: lawaṅga
* → Kodava: ಲವಂಗ (lavaṅga)
* → Tamil: இலவங்கம் (ilavaṅkam)
* → Telugu: లవంగము (lavaṅgamu)
* → Tulu: ಲವಂಗ (lavaṅga)

### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980) “lavaṅgáḥ”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 92
* ↑ Colin P. Masica (1979) “Aryan and non-Aryan elements in North Indian agriculture”, in M. Deshpande and P. E. Hook, editors, Aryan and Non-Aryan in India‎, Ann Arbor: Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Michigan, pages 55–151
* ↑ "lawaṅga" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.
* ↑ Zumbroich, Thomas J. (2012) “From mouth fresheners to erotic perfumes: The evolving socio-cultural significance of nutmeg, mace and cloves in South Asia”, in eJournal of Indian Medicine, volume 5, page 49 of 37–97
* ↑ Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) loan “clove, mace”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI