# नाग
## Hindi
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit नाग (nāga).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /nɑːɡ/, [näːɡ]

### Noun

नाग • (nāg) m (Urdu spelling ناگ)
* male serpent
    Synonyms: साँप (sā̃p), सर्प (sarp)
* (specifically) Indian cobra, Naja naja
    Synonym: भुजंग (bhujaṅg)
* (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) naga

#### Related terms

* नागिन (nāgin)
* नागिनी (nāginī)

### Further reading

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

## Marathi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit नाग (nāga), through Old Marathi 𑘡𑘰𑘐 (nāga).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /naɡ/

### Noun

नाग • (nāg) m (feminine नागीण)
* a male serpent
    Synonyms: साप (sāp), सर्प (sarpa)
* (specifically) Indian cobra, Naja naja
    Synonym: भुजंग (bhujaṅga)
* (Hinduism, Buddhism) naga

#### Declension
### References

* Molesworth, James Thomas (1857) “नाग”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press
* Shankar Gopal Tulpule, Anne Feldhaus (1999) “नाग”, in A Dictionary of Old Marathi, Mumbai: Popular Prakashan

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* nāga (Latin script)
* 𑀦𑀸𑀕 (Brahmi script)
* নাগ (Bengali script)
* නාග (Sinhalese script)
* နာဂ or ၼႃၷ (Burmese script)
* นาค or นาคะ (Thai script)
* ᨶᩣᨣ (Tai Tham script)
* ນາຄ or ນາຄະ (Lao script)
* នាគ (Khmer script)
* 𑄚𑄂𑄉 (Chakma script)

### Noun

नाग m
* Devanagari script form of nāga

#### Declension
## Sanskrit
### Alternative forms

* নাগ (Assamese script)
* ᬦᬵᬕ (Balinese script)
* নাগ (Bengali script)
* 𑰡𑰯𑰐 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀦𑀸𑀕 (Brahmi script)
* နာဂ (Burmese script)
* નાગ (Gujarati script)
* ਨਾਗ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌨𑌾𑌗 (Grantha script)
* ꦤꦴꦒ (Javanese script)
* 𑂢𑂰𑂏 (Kaithi script)
* ನಾಗ (Kannada script)
* នាគ (Khmer script)
* ນາຄ (Lao script)
* നാഗ (Malayalam script)
* ᠨᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡤᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘡𑘰𑘐 (Modi script)
* ᠨᠠᢗᠺᠠ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧁𑧑𑦰 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐣𑐵𑐐 (Newa script)
* ନାଗ (Odia script)
* ꢥꢵꢔ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆤𑆳𑆓 (Sharada script)
* 𑖡𑖯𑖐 (Siddham script)
* නාග (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩯𑩛𑩞 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚝𑚭𑚌 (Takri script)
* நாக³ (Tamil script)
* నాగ (Telugu script)
* นาค (Thai script)
* ནཱ་ག (Tibetan script)
* 𑒢𑒰𑒑 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨝𑨊𑨍 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /nɑː.ɡɐ́/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /n̪ɑː.ɡɐ/

### Etymology 1

Probably the same word as नाग (nāga, “elephant”). Both the meanings “snake” and “elephant” can be explained as “*naked, hairless animal”, from Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós (“naked”). Cognate with Lithuanian núogas (“naked”). See also नग्न (nagná-, “naked”).
Alternatively, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)nog-ó-s, from *(s)neg- (“to crawl; a creeping thing”) and cognate with Old English snaca (whence English snake).

#### Noun

नाग • (nāgá) stem, m
* a snake, especially of species Naja naja
** c. 700 BCE, Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
* a naga or serpent-demon
* name of the numbers 7 and 8
* one of the five airs of the human body (which is expelled by eructation)
* any of several plants (Mesua roxburghii, Rottlera tinctoria etc.)

##### Declension

* ¹Vedic

##### Descendants

* Pali: nāga
* Prakrit: 𑀡𑀸𑀬 (ṇāya)
** Sinhalese: නයා (nayā)
* Punjabi: ਨਾਗ (nāg, “cobra”)
* Saraiki: نانگ (nāng, “snake”)
* Sindhi: نانگ (“snake”)
* → Burmese: နဂါး (na.ga:), နာဂ (naga.)
* → Chinese:
** Mandarin: 那伽 (nàjiā)
* → English: naga, naja
* → Hindi: नाग (nāg)
* → Bengali: নাগ (nag)
* → Italian: naga
* → Kannada: ನಾಗ (nāga)
* → Kashmiri: ناگ (nāg, “snake, lake, spring”)
* → Khmer: នាគ (niək)
* → Lao: ນາກ (nāk)
* → Lü: ᦓᦱᧅ (naak)
* → Malayalam: നാഗം (nāgaṁ)
* → Malay: naga
** Indonesian: naga
* → Mon: နာ်
* → Odia: ନାଗ (nāga)
* → Old Marathi: 𑘡𑘰𑘐 (nāga)
** → Marathi: नाग (nāg)
* → Tamil: நாக (nāka), நாகம் (nākam)
* → Tampuan: ណាក
* → Telugu: నాగము (nāgamu)
* → Thai: นาค (nâak)

#### Adjective

नाग • (nāgá) stem
* formed of snakes, relating to serpents or serpents-demons, snaky, serpentine, serpent-like
* belonging to an elephant, elephantine (as urine)

##### Declension

* ¹Vedic
* ¹Vedic
* ²Brāhmaṇas
* ¹Vedic
* ²Brāhmaṇas
* ¹Vedic

### Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós (“naked”). See नाग (nāga, “snake”).

#### Noun

नाग • (nāgá) stem, m
* an elephant
** c. 80 CE – 150 CE, Aśvaghoṣa, Buddhacarita 3.2:श्रुत्वा ततः स्त्रीजनवल्लभानां मनोज्ञभावं पुरकाननानाम् । बहिःप्रयाणाय चकार बुद्धिम् अन्तर्गृहे नाग इवावरुद्धः ॥śrutvā tataḥ strījanavallabhānāṃ manojñabhāvaṃ purakānanānām. bahiḥprayāṇāya cakāra buddhim antargṛhe nāga ivāvaruddhaḥ.1893 translation by E. B. CowellHaving heard of the delightful appearance of the city groves beloved by the women, He resolved to go out of doors, like an elephant long shut up in a house.

##### Descendants

* Old Javanese: nāga (see there for further descendants)
* Pali: nāga (“elephant”)
* Prakrit: 𑀡𑀸𑀬 (ṇāya)

### Etymology 3

Probably borrowed from Semitic, ultimately from Sumerian 𒀭𒈾 (anna). Compare Classical Syriac ܐܢܟܐ (ʾānḵāʾ, “tin”), Biblical Hebrew אֲנָךְ (ʾănāḵ) , Arabic آنُك (ʔānuk, “lead; tin”).

#### Noun

नाग • (nāga) stem, n
* tin, lead
* a kind of talc
* a kind of coitus
* name of the 3rd invariable करण (karaṇa)
* name of the effects of that period on anything happening during it
* name of a district of भारतवर्ष (bhāratavarṣa)

##### Declension

* ¹Vedic

### Etymology 4

Uncertain. Possibly from नाग (nāga, “snake”) as "snake tree".

#### Noun

नाग • (nāga) stem, m
* name of the tree Mesua ferrea

##### Declension

* ¹Vedic

### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “nāgá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 33
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “nāga-¹”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 285
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) “nāga-²”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 285-286

### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “नाग”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 532-533.
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “nāga”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 404