# असुर
## Hindi
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit असुर (asura).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /ə.sʊɾ/, [ɐ.sʊɾ]

### Noun

असुर • (asur) m (Urdu spelling اسر)
* (Hinduism) a demon, an asura

#### Descendants

* → English: asur

### See also

* राक्षस (rākṣas)

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* asura (Latin script)
* 𑀅𑀲𑀼𑀭 (Brahmi script)
* অসুর (Bengali script)
* අසුර (Sinhalese script)
* အသုရ or ဢသုရ (Burmese script)
* อสุร or อะสุระ (Thai script)
* ᩋᩈᩩᩁ (Tai Tham script)
* ອສຸຣ or ອະສຸຣະ (Lao script)
* អសុរ (Khmer script)
* 𑄃𑄥𑄪𑄢 (Chakma script)

### Noun

असुर m
* Devanagari script form of asura

## Sanskrit
### Alternative forms

* অসুৰ (Assamese script)
* ᬅᬲᬸᬭ (Balinese script)
* অসুর (Bengali script)
* 𑰀𑰭𑰲𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀅𑀲𑀼𑀭 (Brahmi script)
* အသုရ (Burmese script)
* અસુર (Gujarati script)
* ਅਸੁਰ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌅𑌸𑍁𑌰 (Grantha script)
* ꦄꦱꦸꦫ (Javanese script)
* 𑂃𑂮𑂳𑂩 (Kaithi script)
* ಅಸುರ (Kannada script)
* អសុរ (Khmer script)
* ອສຸຣ (Lao script)
* അസുര (Malayalam script)
* ᠠᠰ᠌ᡠᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘀𑘭𑘳𑘨 (Modi script)
* ᠠᠰᠤᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑦠𑧍𑧔𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐀𑐳𑐸𑐬 (Newa script)
* ଅସୁର (Odia script)
* ꢂꢱꢸꢬ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆃𑆱𑆶𑆫 (Sharada script)
* 𑖀𑖭𑖲𑖨 (Siddham script)
* අසුර (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩐𑪁𑩒𑩼 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚀𑚨𑚰𑚤 (Takri script)
* அஸுர (Tamil script)
* అసుర (Telugu script)
* อสุร (Thai script)
* ཨ་སུ་ར (Tibetan script)
* 𑒁𑒮𑒳𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨀𑨰𑨃𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *Hásuras, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hásuras, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ń̥suros.
Related to असु (asu-), with several possible etymologies and meanings. In the context of asura conventionally associated with asu- in the sense of "master of the house". This meaning is not further narrowed by its etymology: cf. Avestan 𐬀𐬵𐬎 (ahu, “lord; life, existence”) and 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀 (ahura, “lord”), Hittite 𒈗 (ḫaššū, “king”), Old Norse æsir (“gods”) and Old English ōs (“god”). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ens- (“to engender, beget”).
The Brahmanas and the Puranas derive asura from another asu-, "breath", a cognate of which is found in Av. ahu-, "life, existence". In yet other post-Vedic Sanskrit literature, asura was back-formed as a-sura, "non-sura", with sura then associated with a group of gods who inhabit Indra's domain.

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /ɐ́.su.ɾɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ɐ.s̪u.ɾɐ/

### Noun

असुर • (ásura) stem, m
* spirit, good spirit, supreme spirit (said of Varuna)
** c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 8.25.4:म॒हान्ता॑ मि॒त्रावरु॑णा स॒म्राजा॑ दे॒वाव्असु॑रा । ऋ॒तावा॑नावृ॒तमा घो॑षतो बृ॒हत् ॥mahā́ntā mitrā́váruṇā samrā́jā devā́vásurā. ṛtā́vānāvṛtámā́ ghoṣato bṛhát.Great Mitra and Varuṇa, sovereign kings, gods and spirits truth-possessing, loudly sound their lofty truth.
* the chief of the evil spirits
* an evil spirit, demon, ghost, opponent of the gods
* name of Rāhu
* the sun
* cloud
* (in the plural) name of a warrior-tribe
* name of a Vedic school
* zodiacal sign
* Sinapis ramosa (in later Sanskrit सुर (sura) has been formed from असुर (asura), as सित (sita), from असित (asita))

#### Declension

* ¹Vedic

#### Derived terms

* आसुर (āsurá)

#### Descendants

* → Burmese: သုရာ (su.ra)
* → Chinese: 阿修羅 / 阿修罗 (āxiūluó)
** → Japanese: 阿修羅 (ashura)
** → Korean: 아수라 (asura)
** → Vietnamese: A Tu La
* → Gujarati: અસુર (asur)
* → Hindi: असुर (asur)
** → English: asur
* → Khmer: អសុរ (ʼaʼsol)
* → Marathi: असुर (asur)
* → Punjabi: ਅਸੁਰ (asur)
* → Pali: asura
* → Russian: а́сура (ásura)
* → Tamil: அசுரன் (acuraṉ)
* → Telugu: అసురుడు (asuruḍu)
* → Thai: อสูร (à-sǔun), อสุร
* → Tocharian B: asūre

### References

* Monier Williams (1899) “असुर”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 121, column 1.