# मेण्ढ
## Sanskrit
### Alternative forms

* मेण्ड (meṇḍa), मिण्ढ (miṇḍha), मेठ (meṭha), मेण्ढ्र (meṇḍhra), मेढ्र (meḍhra), मेठ (meṭha)

### Alternative scripts

* মেণ্ঢ (Assamese script)
* ᬫᬾᬡ᭄ᬠ (Balinese script)
* মেণ্ঢ (Bengali script)
* 𑰦𑰸𑰜𑰿𑰛 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀫𑁂𑀡𑁆𑀠 (Brahmi script)
* မေဏ္ဎ (Burmese script)
* મેણ્ઢ (Gujarati script)
* ਮੇਣ੍ਢ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌮𑍇𑌣𑍍𑌢 (Grantha script)
* ꦩꦺꦟ꧀ꦞ (Javanese script)
* 𑂧𑂵𑂝𑂹𑂛 (Kaithi script)
* ಮೇಣ್ಢ (Kannada script)
* មេណ្ឍ (Khmer script)
* ເມຓ຺ຒ (Lao script)
* മേണ്ഢ (Malayalam script)
* ᠮᡝᢏᢟᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘦𑘹𑘜𑘿𑘛 (Modi script)
* ᠮᠧᢏᢎᠾᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧆𑧚𑦼𑧠𑦻 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐩𑐾𑐞𑑂𑐝 (Newa script)
* ମେଣ୍ଢ (Odia script)
* ꢪꢾꢠ꣄ꢟ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆩𑆼𑆟𑇀𑆞 (Sharada script)
* 𑖦𑖸𑖜𑖿𑖛 (Siddham script)
* මෙණ‍්ඪ (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩴𑩔𑩪 𑪙𑩩 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚢𑚲𑚘𑚶𑚗 (Takri script)
* மேண்ட⁴ (Tamil script)
* మేణ్ఢ (Telugu script)
* เมณฺฒ (Thai script)
* མེ་ཎྜྷ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒧𑒹𑒝𑓂𑒜 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨢𑨄𑨘𑩇𑨗 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

Unknown. Given the vast phonological variation and lack of usage in texts, probably borrowed from substrate. Related to भेड्र (bheḍra, “ram”), perhaps via the regular mh ~ bh alternation.
Perhaps derived from मे॒ष (meṣá, “ram, sheep”), which is of Indo-European origin. A form like meṣ-ṭra undergoing Prakritisation could explain this term, but the exact suffix here is unclear.
Per Kuiper, borrowed from Munda. Kuiper suggests a relationship to Pali meṇḍ (“crookedness”, root) and similar New Indo-Aryan terms referring to curved horns of animals. These he traces to Munda terms including Mundari [script needed] (meṇḍā, “curved and pointed to the head (horns)”), Ho [script needed] (mendā), Santali [script needed] (meṛha, “twisted backwards (horns of a buffalo)”). The rest of Kuiper's discussion on the etymology of the term is too speculative to list here.
The "penis" sense may come from a collision and conflation with the etymologically unrelated मेढ्र (meḍhra, “penis (organ of urination)”); see there for more.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /meːɳ.ɖʱɐ/

### Noun

मेण्ढ • (meṇḍha) stem, m
* ram
* penis

#### Declension

* ¹Vedic

#### Related terms

* मेण्ढक (meṇḍhaka)
* भेड्र (bheḍra), भेड (bheḍa), भेण्ड (bheṇḍa)

#### Descendants

* Dardic:
** Phalura: miṇḍ, miḍ (Biori)
* Pali: meṇḍa (“ram”)
* Prakrit: 𑀫𑁂𑀟𑁆𑀠 (mĕḍḍha), 𑀫𑁂𑀁𑀠 (meṃḍha), 𑀫𑁂𑀁𑀟 (meṃḍa), 𑀫𑀺𑀁𑀠 (miṃḍha)
** Central Indo-Aryan:
*** Hindustani:
**** Hindi: मेढ़ (meṛh), मेढ़ा (meṛhā), मेंढा (meṇḍhā)
**** Urdu: میڑھ (meṛh), میڑھا (meṛhā), مینڈھا (meṇḍhā)
** Eastern Indo-Aryan:
*** Assamese: মেঢ় (merh), মেৰ (mer)
*** Bengali: মেড়া (meṛa)
** Northern Indo-Aryan:
*** Nepali: मेढ़ो (meṛho), मेड़ो (meṛo)
** Southern Indo-Aryan:
*** Marathi: मेंढा (meṇḍhā)
** Western Indo-Aryan:
*** Gujarati: મેંઢું (meṇḍhũ)
* Prakrit: 𑀫𑁂𑀁𑀞𑀻 (meṃṭhī, “sheep”)
** Central Indo-Aryan:
*** Old Hindi: मेठा (meṭhā, “ram”)
* Prakrit: *𑀫𑁂𑀚𑁆𑀛 (*mĕjjha)
** Central Indo-Aryan:
*** Old Hindi: मेझुका (mejhukā, “ram”)

### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) “meṇḍhaḥ”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 682
* ↑ Tedesco, P[aul Maximilian] (1943) “Sanskrit milati 'to unite'”, in Language‎, volume 19, number 1, Linguistic Society of America, page 15 of 1–18
* ↑ Kuiper, F. B. J. (1948) Proto-Munda Words In Sanskrit‎, Amsterdam: N.V. Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij, page 109
* ↑ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “*miḍḍa”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 582

### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “मेण्ढ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 832/2.
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “mēṇḍha”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press