# गोधा
## Pali
### Alternative forms

* godhā (Latin script)
* 𑀕𑁄𑀥𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* গোধা (Bengali script)
* ගොධා (Sinhalese script)
* ဂေါဓာ or ဂေါဓါ or ၷေႃꩪႃ (Burmese script)
* โคธา (Thai script)
* ᨣᩮᩤᨵᩤ or ᨣᩮᩣᨵᩣ (Tai Tham script)
* ໂຄຘາ (Lao script)
* គោធា (Khmer script)
* 𑄉𑄮𑄙𑄂 (Chakma script)

### Noun

गोधा f
* Devanagari script form of godhā (“monitor lizard”)

#### Declension
## Prakrit
### Noun

गोधा (godhā)
* Devanagari script form of 𑀕𑁄𑀥𑀸 (“monitor lizard”)

## Sanskrit
### Alternative forms

* গোধা (Assamese script)
* ᬕᭀᬥᬵ (Balinese script)
* গোধা (Bengali script)
* 𑰐𑰺𑰠𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀕𑁄𑀥𑀸 (Brahmi script)
* ဂေါဓာ (Burmese script)
* ગોધા (Gujarati script)
* ਗੋਧਾ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌗𑍋𑌧𑌾 (Grantha script)
* ꦒꦺꦴꦣꦴ (Javanese script)
* 𑂏𑂷𑂡𑂰 (Kaithi script)
* ಗೋಧಾ (Kannada script)
* គោធា (Khmer script)
* ໂຄຘາ (Lao script)
* ഗോധാ (Malayalam script)
* ᡤᠣᢡᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
* 𑘐𑘻𑘠𑘰 (Modi script)
* ᠺᠣᠸᠠᢑᠾᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
* 𑦰𑧜𑧀𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐐𑑀𑐢𑐵 (Newa script)
* ଗୋଧା (Odia script)
* ꢔꣂꢤꢵ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆓𑆾𑆣𑆳 (Sharada script)
* 𑖐𑖺𑖠𑖯 (Siddham script)
* ගොධා (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩞𑩕𑩮𑩛 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚌𑚴𑚜𑚭 (Takri script)
* கே³ாத⁴ா (Tamil script)
* గోధా (Telugu script)
* โคธา (Thai script)
* གོ་དྷཱ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒑𑒼𑒡𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨍𑨆𑨜𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

Traditionally explained as गो (go, “ox; cattle”) + धा (dhā), from धयति (dhayati, “to suck”), literally "cow-sucker", which is likely based on either folk etymology or folk belief about milk-sucking reptile or amphibian common to some Indo-European cultures. Possibly comparable with Old Armenian կովադիաց (kovadiacʻ, “lizard”), Northern Kurdish bizinmij (“monitor lizard”, literally “goat sucker”), and even Latin būfō (“toad”).

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /ɡɐw.dʱɑ́ː/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ɡoː.d̪ʱɑː/

### Noun

गोधा • (godhā́) stem, f
* a kind of monitor lizard or other big lizard
** c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 4.3.6:मूर्णा॒ मृग॒स्य द॒न्ता अ॒पिशीर्णा उ पृष्ट॒यः । निम्रु॒क् ते गोधा॒ भवतु नीचा॒यच् छशयु॒र् मृगः॒ ॥mū́rṇā mṛ́gasyá dantā́ apíśī́rṇā́ ú pṛṣṭayáḥ. nímruk té gódhā bhávátú nī́cāyác cháśáyur mṛ́gaḥ.Ruined (are) the teeth of the beast; crushed in also (its) ribs; Disappearing be for thee the godhā́ (monitor lizard); downward go the lurking(?) beast.
** c. 1200 BCE – 800 BCE, Śukla-Yajurveda (Vājasenayi Saṃhitā)
* sinew, chord
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 8.69.9:अव स्वराति गर्गरो गोधा परि सनिष्वणत् । पिङ्गा परि चनिष्कदद् इन्द्राय ब्रह्मोद्यतम् ॥ava svarāti gargaro godhā pari saniṣvaṇat. piṅgā pari caniṣkadad indrāya brahmodyatam.The gargara (musical instrument) utters its sound, the chord resonates; the bowstring vibrates; to Indra is the hymn presented.
* a leather strap worn around the left arm to prevent injury from a bowstring
** c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata

#### Declension

* ¹Vedic
* ²Brāhmaṇas

#### Descendants

* Pali: godhā
* Prakrit: 𑀕𑁄𑀥𑀸 (godhā), 𑀕𑁄𑀳𑀸 (gohā)
** Hindi: गोह (goh)
** Punjabi: ਗੋਹ (goh)

### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) “godhā́-¹”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume I, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 498
* ↑ Ermacora, Davide (2017) “The comparative milk-suckling reptile”, in Anthropozoologica, volume 52, number 1, →DOI, pages 59–81