# भल्ल
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* ভল্ল (Assamese script)
* ᬪᬮ᭄ᬮ (Balinese script)
* ভল্ল (Bengali script)
* 𑰥𑰩𑰿𑰩 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀪𑀮𑁆𑀮 (Brahmi script)
* ဘလ္လ (Burmese script)
* ભલ્લ (Gujarati script)
* ਭਲ੍ਲ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌭𑌲𑍍𑌲 (Grantha script)
* ꦨꦭ꧀ꦭ (Javanese script)
* 𑂦𑂪𑂹𑂪 (Kaithi script)
* ಭಲ್ಲ (Kannada script)
* ភល្ល (Khmer script)
* ຠລ຺ລ (Lao script)
* ഭല്ല (Malayalam script)
* ᢨᠠᠯᠯᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘥𑘩𑘿𑘩 (Modi script)
* ᠪᠾᠠᠯᠯᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧅𑧉𑧠𑧉 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐨𑐮𑑂𑐮 (Newa script)
* ଭଲ୍ଲ (Odia script)
* ꢩꢭ꣄ꢭ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆨𑆬𑇀𑆬 (Sharada script)
* 𑖥𑖩𑖿𑖩 (Siddham script)
* භල‍්ල (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩳𑩽 𑪙𑩽 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚡𑚥𑚶𑚥 (Takri script)
* ப⁴ல்ல (Tamil script)
* భల్ల (Telugu script)
* ภลฺล (Thai script)
* བྷ་ལླ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒦𑒪𑓂𑒪 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨡𑨬𑩇𑨬 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /bʱɐl.lɐ́/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈbʱɐl̪.l̪ɐ/

### Etymology 1

The origin is uncertain.
Chatterji considers the word as borrowed from Dravidian; compare Tamil வேல் (vēl, “spear, lance”). Alternatively, Burrow and Turner derive the word from an unattested *भत्ल (bhatla), and connect it to Latin battuo (“to hit; to fight”).

#### Noun

भल्ल • (bhalla) stem, m
* a a kind of arrow or missile with a point of a particular shape
* a particular part of an arrow

##### Declension
#### Noun

भल्ल • (bhalla) stem, n
* an arrowhead of a particular shape

##### Declension
#### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) “bhallaḥ¹”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 483
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “bhalla-¹”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 365
* ↑ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “bhalla”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

#### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “भल्ल”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 748/3.

### Etymology 2

From an earlier *bhadlá, from an even earlier भद्र (bhadrá, “favourable, auspicious”), whence also भल्लाक्ष (bhallākṣa, “a term used in addressing a flamingo”).

#### Adjective

भल्ल • (bhalla) stem
* auspicious, favorable

##### Descendants

* Prakrit: 𑀪𑀮𑁆𑀮 (bhalla)
** Magadhi Prakrit:
*** Bengali: ভাল (bhal), ভালো (bhalō)
*** Early Assamese: ভাল (bhalo)
**** Assamese: ভাল (bhal)
*** Sylheti: ꠜꠣꠟꠣ (bála)
** ⇒ Sauraseni Prakrit: *𑀪𑀮𑁆𑀮𑀕 (*bhallaga)
*** Hindustani:
    Hindi: भला (bhalā)
    Urdu: بھلا
*** Old Gujarati: भलउं (bhalaüṃ)
**** Gujarati: ભલું (bhalũ)

#### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “bhalla-²”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 365
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “bhalla-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 254
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “bhallākṣa-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 254

#### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “भल्ल”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 748/3.
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “bhalla”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

### Etymology 3

The origin is uncertain.
Perhaps from the same origin as the "auspicious" sense of Etymology 2; flattering euphemisms for bears were common in ancient India.
Alternatively, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“brown, bear”), itself a possibly-euphemistic replacement for Proto-Indo-European *h₂ŕ̥tḱos (“bear”), with irregular phonetic modification by taboo. Mayrhofer appears to tentatively favor this latter derivation, though is also open to the former "auspicious" derivation; perhaps both paths contributed to the development of the word.

#### Noun

भल्ल • (bhalla) stem, m
* a bear
** c. 800 CE – 950 CE, Nārāyaṇa, Hitopadeśa

##### Derived terms

* भल्लूक (bhallūka)
* अच्छभल्ल (acchabhalla)

#### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) “bhallū́kaḥ”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 485
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “bhalla-³”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 366
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “bhallūka-¹”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 366

#### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “भल्ल”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 748/3.
* Chatterji, Suniti Kumar (1954) Bhartiya Aryabhasha Aur Hindi, Rajkamal Prakashan, page 73
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “bhalla”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

### Etymology 4

Related to मल्ल (malla, “wrestler, boxer by profession”).

#### Proper noun

भल्ल • (bhalla) m
* (in the plural) the name of a tribe of people

#### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “bhalla-⁴”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 366

#### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “भल्ल”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 748/3.
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “bhalla”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press