# नक्षत्र
## Hindi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit नक्षत्र (nákṣatra).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /nək.ʂət̪.ɾᵊ/, [nɐk.ʃɐt̪.ɾᵊ]

### Noun

नक्षत्र • (nakṣatra) m
* star or any astronomical object
* constellation

#### Synonyms

* (star) तारा (tārā), सितारा (sitārā)
* (constellation) तारामंडल (tārāmaṇḍal)

## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* নক্ষত্ৰ (Assamese script)
* ᬦᬓ᭄ᬱᬢ᭄ᬭ (Balinese script)
* নক্ষত্র (Bengali script)
* 𑰡𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰝𑰿𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀦𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀢𑁆𑀭 (Brahmi script)
* နက္ၑတြ (Burmese script)
* નક્ષત્ર (Gujarati script)
* ਨਕ੍ਸ਼ਤ੍ਰ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌨𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌤𑍍𑌰 (Grantha script)
* ꦤꦏ꧀ꦰꦠꦿ (Javanese script)
* 𑂢𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂞𑂹𑂩 (Kaithi script)
* ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ (Kannada script)
* នក្ឞត្រ (Khmer script)
* ນກ຺ຩຕ຺ຣ (Lao script)
* നക്ഷത്ര (Malayalam script)
* ᠨᠠᡬᢢᠠᢠᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘡𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘝𑘿𑘨 (Modi script)
* ᠨᠠᢉᢔᠠᢐᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧁𑦮𑧠𑧌𑦽𑧠𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐣𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐟𑑂𑐬 (Newa script)
* ନକ୍ଷତ୍ର (Odia script)
* ꢥꢒ꣄ꢰꢡ꣄ꢬ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆤𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆠𑇀𑆫 (Sharada script)
* 𑖡𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖝𑖿𑖨 (Siddham script)
* නක්‍ෂත්‍ර (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩯𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑩫 𑪙𑩼 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚝𑚊𑚶𑚙𑚶𑚤 (Takri script)
* நக்ஷத்ர (Tamil script)
* నక్షత్ర (Telugu script)
* นกฺษตฺร (Thai script)
* ན་ཀྵ་ཏྲ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒢𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒞𑓂𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨝𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨙𑩇𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

Possibly from an earlier *nák-kṣatra (“ruling over the night”), from नक् (nák, “night”) + क्षत्र (kṣatra, “dominion, rule”). Alternatively, from the root नक्ष् (nakṣ, “to reach”).

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /nɐ́k.ʂɐt.ɾɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /n̪ɐkˈʂɐt̪.ɾɐ/

### Noun

नक्षत्र • (nákṣatra) stem, n or m
* a star or any heavenly body
    Synonyms: स्तृ (stṛ), तृ (tṛ)
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.50.2:अप॒ त्ये ता॒यवो॑ यथा॒ नक्ष॑त्रा यन्त्य॒क्तुभिः॑ । सूरा॑य वि॒श्वच॑क्षसे ॥ápa tyé tāyávo yathā nákṣatrā yantyaktúbhiḥ. sū́rāya viśvácakṣase.The stars pass away, like thieves, together with their beams, Before the all-beholding Sun.
* the Sun
* an asterism or constellation through which the moon passes, a lunar mansion
** c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

#### Derived terms

* नक्षत्रिय (nakṣatríya)

#### Descendants

* Dardic:
** Kashmiri: نێچھَتُر (nechatur), نێچھۆتُ (nechotu)
* Gandhari: 𐨣𐨐𐨿𐨮𐨟𐨿𐨪 (nakṣatra)
* Pali: nakkhatta
* Prakrit: 𑀡𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀢𑁆𑀢 (ṇakkhatta)
** Central:
*** Ardhamagadhi Prakrit:
**** Awadhi: नखत (nakhat)
*** Sauraseni Prakrit:
**** Hindustani: nakhat
***** Hindi: नखत
***** Urdu: نَکھَت (nakhat)
** Eastern:
*** Magadhi Prakrit:
**** Bihari: नखत (nakhat)
** Northwestern:
*** Paisaci Prakrit:
**** Takka Apabhramsa:
***** Punjabi: nakhattar
    Gurmukhi script: ਨਖੱਤਰ
    Shahmukhi script: نَکھَتَّر
**** Vracada Apabhramsa:
***** Sindhi: nakhaṭru
    Arabic script: نَکَٽرُ
    Devanagari script: नखट्रु
** Southern:
*** Helu Prakrit:
**** Dhivehi: ނަކަތް (nakat̊)
**** Sinhalese: නකත (nakata), නැකැත (nækæta)
** Western:
*** Sauraseni Prakrit:
**** Gujarati: નખેતર (nakhetar)
Borrowed terms
* → Hindi: नक्षत्र (nakṣatra)
* → Kannada: ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ (nakṣatra)
* → Khmer: នក្សត្រ (nĕəksat)
* → Malayalam: നക്ഷത്രം (nakṣatraṁ)
* → Punjabi: ਨਛੱਤਰ (nachattar)
* → Tamil: நட்சத்திரம் (naṭcattiram)
* → Telugu: నక్షత్రము (nakṣatramu)
* → Thai: นักษัตร (nák-sàt)

### References

* Monier Williams (1899) “नक्षत्र”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 524, column 2.
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 4
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “nákṣatra”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 397