# वाम
## Old Gujarati
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit वाम (vāma).

### Adjective

वाम • (vāma)
* left side

## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* ৱাম (Assamese script)
* ᬯᬵᬫ (Balinese script)
* বাম (Bengali script)
* 𑰪𑰯𑰦 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀯𑀸𑀫 (Brahmi script)
* ဝါမ (Burmese script)
* વામ (Gujarati script)
* ਵਾਮ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌵𑌾𑌮 (Grantha script)
* ꦮꦴꦩ (Javanese script)
* 𑂫𑂰𑂧 (Kaithi script)
* ವಾಮ (Kannada script)
* វាម (Khmer script)
* ວາມ (Lao script)
* വാമ (Malayalam script)
* ᠸᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠮᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘪𑘰𑘦 (Modi script)
* ᠸᠠᢗᠮᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧊𑧑𑧆 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐰𑐵𑐩 (Newa script)
* ଵାମ (Odia script)
* ꢮꢵꢪ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆮𑆳𑆩 (Sharada script)
* 𑖪𑖯𑖦 (Siddham script)
* වාම (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩾𑩛𑩴 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚦𑚭𑚢 (Takri script)
* வாம (Tamil script)
* వామ (Telugu script)
* วาม (Thai script)
* ཝཱ་མ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒫𑒰𑒧 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨭𑨊𑨢 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁-mó (“to love, wish”); compare वनोति (vanoti).

#### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /ʋɑː.mɐ́/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈʋɑː.mɐ/

#### Adjective

वाम • (vāma) stem (root वन्)
* lovely, dear, pleasant, agreeable, fair, beautiful, splendid, noble
* (at the end of a compound) striving after, eager for, intent upon, fond of
* relating to a mare
* (at the end of a compound) striving after, eager for

##### Declension
#### Noun

वाम • (vāma) stem, m
* the female breast
* (Hinduism) the god of love; an epithet for several gods

#### Noun

वाम • (vāma) stem, n
* a lovely thing, any dear or desirable good (as gold, horses, etc)
* wealth, fortune

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

Of uncertain origin.
Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂-mós, from *h₁weh₂- (“to leave”); related to ऊन (ūna, “deficient, wanting”).
Alternatively, perhaps a semantic extension of Etymology 1, using the meaning of "lovely" to euphemistically refer to the "normally inauspicious left side", though the semantic shift is not very obvious.
See also वामन (vāmana).

#### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /ʋɑ́ː.mɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈʋɑː.mɐ/

#### Adjective

वाम • (vāma) stem
* left, not right, being or situated on the left side (the quivering of the left eye or arm is supposed to be a good omen in women and of the left arm a bad omen in men)
* reverse, adverse, contrary, opposite, unfavorable
* crooked, oblique (अम् ind. sideways)
* refractory, coy (in love)
* acting in the opposite way or differently
* hard, cruel
* vile, wicked, base, low, bad

##### Declension
#### Noun

वाम • (vāma) stem, m
* the left side
    वामाद् दक्षिणम्vāmād dakṣiṇamfrom left to right
    वामेनvāmenaon the left
* the left hand
* a snake
* an animal, sentient being

##### Declension
#### Noun

वाम • (vāma) stem, n
* the left side
* adversity, misfortune
* the left-hand practices of the followers of the Tantras

##### Derived terms

* वामक (vāmaka)
* वामतस् (vāmatas, “from the left”)
* वामम् (vāmam, “sideways”)

##### Descendants

Some descendants may also continue वामक (vāmaka).
* Prakrit: 𑀯𑀸𑀫 (vāma)
** Old Gujarati: वाम (vāma)
*** Gujarati: વામ (vām)
** Sinhalese: වම (wama)
** Hindustani:
    Hindi: बायाँ (bāyā̃, “the left”), बाएँ (bāẽ, “to the left”) (through the instrumental)
    Urdu: بایاں (bāyā̃), بائیں (bāẽ)
** Bengali: বাঁ (bã)
** Early Assamese: বাম (bamo)
*** Assamese: বাওঁ (baü̃)
* Pali: vāma
* → Hindi: वाम (vām) (learned)
* → Bengali: বাম (bam) (learned)

### References

* Monier Williams (1899) “वाम”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 941/2-3.
* Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “वाम”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 543-544
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 189