# मर्कट
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* মৰ্কট (Assamese script)
* ᬫᬃᬓᬝ (Balinese script)
* মর্কট (Bengali script)
* 𑰦𑰨𑰿𑰎𑰘 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀫𑀭𑁆𑀓𑀝 (Brahmi script)
* မရ်္ကဋ (Burmese script)
* મર્કટ (Gujarati script)
* ਮਰ੍ਕਟ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌮𑌰𑍍𑌕𑌟 (Grantha script)
* ꦩꦂꦏꦛ (Javanese script)
* 𑂧𑂩𑂹𑂍𑂗 (Kaithi script)
* ಮರ್ಕಟ (Kannada script)
* មក៌ដ (Khmer script)
* ມຣ຺ກຏ (Lao script)
* മര്കട (Malayalam script)
* ᠮᠠᡵᡬᠠᢞᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘦𑘨𑘿𑘎𑘘 (Modi script)
* ᠮᠠᠷᢉᠠᢌᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧆𑧈𑧠𑦮𑦸 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐩𑐬𑑂𑐎𑐚 (Newa script)
* ମର୍କଟ (Odia script)
* ꢪꢬ꣄ꢒꢜ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆩𑆫𑇀𑆑𑆛 (Sharada script)
* 𑖦𑖨𑖿𑖎𑖘 (Siddham script)
* මර්‍කට (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩴𑩼 𑪙𑩜𑩦 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚢𑚤𑚶𑚊𑚔 (Takri script)
* மர்கட (Tamil script)
* మర్కట (Telugu script)
* มรฺกฏ (Thai script)
* མ་རྐ་ཊ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒧𑒩𑓂𑒏𑒙 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨢𑨫𑩇𑨋𑨔 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /mɐɾ.kɐ́.ʈɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈmɐɾ.kɐ.ʈɐ/

### Etymology 1

Uncertain. Compare मर्क (marka, “monkey”).
* Burrow and Gundert take the word as borrowed from Dravidian; compare Malayalam മൊങ്ങ (moṅṅa), Kannada ಮಂಗ (maṅga, “ape”). Per Turner, this implies extension मर्क (marka) +‎ -ट (-ṭa). Mayrhofer is not entirely convinced.
** Subrahmanyam considers it to be a compound mar-kaṭa with the initial being from Proto-Dravidian *maran (“tree”) and latter possibly from Tamil கட (kaṭa, “cross”), which the original meaning of "one living on trees".
* Kuiper proposes a prefixed form of a Munda term that also gave rise to किट (kiṭa, “a kind of ape”).
* Similarities to Old Chinese 沐猴 (OC *moːɡ ɡoː, “macaque”) / 母猴 (OC *mɯʔ ɡoː, “female monkey”) have also been noted, with the ultimate source language perhaps lost to history.
* Finally, some have connected the word to German Meerkatze (“guenon (a kind of monkey)”) and English meerkat; note however the form of Old High German merikazza, so any influence from Indo-Aryan would have to be exceptionally early.
The "type of bird" meaning listed by lexicographers is probably from a misinterpretation of the "monkey" meaning.

#### Noun

म॒र्कट॑ • (markáṭa) stem, m
* a monkey, ape
** c. 1200 BCE – 800 BCE, Śukla-Yajurveda (Vājasenayi Saṃhitā)
* adjutant, Indian crane (Leptoptilos)
** Ṣaḍviṃśa Brāhmaṇa

##### Descendants

* Dardic:
** Dameli: makẉui, [script needed] (makäŕ)
** Kalami: [script needed] (makīr)
** Kalasha: [script needed] (mŕāko), [script needed] (makŕṓŕyak)
** Khowar: [script needed] (mukuḷ)
** Northeast Pashayi: [script needed] (makṓṛ)
** Phalura: máakaṛ
* Prakrit: 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀟 (makkaḍa), 𑀫𑀁𑀓𑀟 (maṃkaḍa), 𑀫𑀁𑀓𑀡 (maṃkaṇa), 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀟𑀻 f (makkaḍī) (see there for further descendants)

###### Borrowed terms

* → Khotanese: makala
* → Nuristani:
** Kamkata-viri: [script needed] (makeŕ)
** Kamviri: [script needed] (māgŕə̃)
** Waigali: [script needed] (mákäŕ)
* → Sogdian: [script needed] (mkrʾ)

### Etymology 2

Uncertain. Not related to Etymology 1 above.
* Kuiper proposes a prefixed form of a Munda word of the form *कोडिक (koḍika), whose form has been preserved in कोलिक (kolika, “weaver; spider”) and मत्कोटक (matkoṭaka, “spider”) (whence Prakrit 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑁄𑀟𑀸 (makkoḍā)).
* Turner compares the word to मत्कोटक (matkoṭaka) and मत्कुण (matkuṇa, “bedbug”). He mentions Kuiper's proposal but is noncommital.

#### Noun

मर्कट • (markaṭa) stem, m
* a spider
* a sort of poison or venom

##### Descendants

* Prakrit: 𑀫𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀟 (makkaḍa), 𑀫𑀁𑀓𑀟 (maṃkaḍa) (see there for further descendants)
* Pali: makkaṭa
** → Lü: ᦙᦅᦎ (mkṫ)

### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) “markáṭaḥ”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 592-593
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “markáṭa-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 322-323
* ↑ Burrow, T[homas] (1948) “Dravidian Studies VII: Further Dravidian words in Sanskrit”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London‎, volume 12, number 2, page 389 of 365–396
* ↑ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “markáṭa¹”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 568
* ↑ Subrahmanyam, P.S. (2011) “145”, in A Supplement to Dravidian etymological dictionary, Chennai : Central Institute of Classical Tamil.
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) “kolikaḥ”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 273
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “markaṭa”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 390-391
* ↑ Kuiper, F. B. J. (1948) Proto-Munda Words In Sanskrit‎, Amsterdam: N.V. Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij, page 47
* ↑ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “markaṭa²”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 568
* ↑ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kōlika”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 183

### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “मर्क्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 791, column 1.
* Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “मर्कट”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan