# धारा
## Hindi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit धारा (dhā́rā).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /d̪ʱɑː.ɾɑː/, [d̪ʱäː.ɾäː]

### Noun

धारा • (dhārā) f
* stream, current, flow
    Synonym: प्रवाह (pravāh)
    विद्युत धारा ― vidyut dhārā ― electrical current
* waterfall
    धारा में नहाने में बहुत मज़ा आता है।dhārā mẽ nahāne mẽ bahut mazā ātā hai.It is very fun to bathe in a waterfall.
* (law) section

#### Derived terms

* उपधारा (updhārā)
* धाराप्रवाह (dhārāpravāh)
* धाराप्रवाही (dhārāpravāhī)
* धारायंत्र (dhārāyantra)
* धारावाहिक (dhārāvāhik)
* धारावाहिकता (dhārāvāhiktā)
* धारावाही (dhārāvāhī)
* धारासार (dhārāsār)

### References

* McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “धारा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* dhārā (Latin script)
* 𑀥𑀸𑀭𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* ধারা (Bengali script)
* ධාරා (Sinhalese script)
* ဓာရာ or ꩪႃရႃ (Burmese script)
* ธารา (Thai script)
* ᨵᩤᩁᩣ (Tai Tham script)
* ຘາຣາ (Lao script)
* ធារា (Khmer script)
* 𑄙𑄂𑄢𑄂 (Chakma script)

### Noun

धारा f
* Devanagari script form of dhārā (“torrent”)
* Devanagari script form of dhārā (“edge of a weapon”)

#### Declension
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* ধাৰা (Assamese script)
* ᬥᬵᬭᬵ (Balinese script)
* ধারা (Bengali script)
* 𑰠𑰯𑰨𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀥𑀸𑀭𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* ဓာရာ (Burmese script)
* ધારા (Gujarati script)
* ਧਾਰਾ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌧𑌾𑌰𑌾 (Grantha script)
* ꦣꦴꦫꦴ (Javanese script)
* 𑂡𑂰𑂩𑂰 (Kaithi script)
* ಧಾರಾ (Kannada script)
* ធារា (Khmer script)
* ຘາຣາ (Lao script)
* ധാരാ (Malayalam script)
* ᢡᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡵᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
* 𑘠𑘰𑘨𑘰 (Modi script)
* ᢑᠾᠠᢗᠷᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧀𑧑𑧈𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐢𑐵𑐬𑐵 (Newa script)
* ଧାରା (Odia script)
* ꢤꢵꢬꢵ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆣𑆳𑆫𑆳 (Sharada script)
* 𑖠𑖯𑖨𑖯 (Siddham script)
* ධාරා (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩮𑩛𑩼𑩛 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚜𑚭𑚤𑚭 (Takri script)
* த⁴ாரா (Tamil script)
* ధారా (Telugu script)
* ธารา (Thai script)
* དྷཱ་རཱ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒡𑒰𑒩𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨜𑨊𑨫𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /dʱɑ́ː.ɾɑː/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈd̪ʱɑː.ɾɑː/

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *dʰā́raH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *dʰā́raH, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰórh₃-eh₂, from *dʰerh₃- (“to leap, spring”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬛𐬁𐬭𐬁 (dārā), Old English daru (whence English dere). Compare also English dart, ultimately from Frankish *darōþu.
An alternative theory espoused by Lubotsky and Mayrhofer derives the word from Proto-Indo-European *dʰṇh₂-reh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰenh₂- (“to set in motion, flow”) and thus cognate to धन् (dhan, “to move, run”).
Possibly related to Persian درد (dord, “dregs”).

#### Noun

धारा • (dhā́rā) stem, f
* stream or current of water
* flood, gush, jet, drop (of any liquid), shower, rain (also figuratively of arrows, flowers, etc.)
* current, torrent
* a leak or hole in a pitcher etc.
* the pace of horse
* uniformity, sameness (as of flowing water)
* custom, usage
* continuous line or series
* (figuratively) family line

##### Borrowed terms

* → Hindi: धारा (dhārā)

##### Descendants

* Dardic:
** Dameli: دار (dār)
** Gawar-Bati: [script needed] (dhār)
** Grangali: [script needed] (dār)
** Kashmiri: دار (dār)
** Northeast Pashayi: [script needed] (dhār)
** Northwest Pashayi: [script needed] (dhār)
** Savi: [script needed] (dhāre)
** Shina: [script needed] (dār)
** Shumashti: [script needed] (dār)
** Southeast Pashayi: [script needed] (dhār)
** Southwest Pashayi: [script needed] (dhār)
** Wotapuri-Katarqalai: [script needed] (dār)
* Helu Prakrit:
** Sinhalese: දරය (daraya)
* Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀥𑀸𑀭𑀸 (dhārā)
** Assamese: ধাৰ (dhar)
** Bengali: ধার (dhar)
** Bihari: धार (dhār)
*** Bhojpuri: धार (dhār)
*** Maithili: धार (dhār, “line”)
** Odia: ଧାର (dhāra)
* Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀥𑀸𑀭𑀸 (dhārā)
** Konkani: धार (dhār, “sharpness”)
** Marathi: धार (dhār)
* Pali: dhārā
* Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀥𑀸𑀭𑀸 (dhārā)
** Gujarati: ધાર (dhār)
** Kumaoni: धार (dhār)
** Hindustani:
    Hindi: धार (dhār)
    Urdu: دهار (dhār)
** Nepali: धार (dhār)
** Punjabi: ਧਾਰ (dhār)

### Etymology 2

Probably the same as Etymology 1, as blades were perhaps traditionally hardened and sharpened by streaming water.

#### Noun

धारा • (dhārā) stem, f
* margin, sharp edge, rim, blade (esp. of a sword, knife, etc.)
** (figuratively) the flame (blade) of fire
* the edge of a mountain
* the rim of a wheel
* the fence of hedge of a garden
* the van of an army
* the tip of the ear
* highest point, summit, glory, excellence
* night
* turmeric

### References

* 1 2 Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 788-9
* 1 2 Lubotsky, Alexander (2011) The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University
* ↑ Rastorgujeva, V. S., Edelʹman, D. I. (2003) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 2, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, page 356
* ↑ Monier Williams (1899) “धारा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 515/3.
* ↑ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “dhāˊrā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

### Further reading

* Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2025) “dhārā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.