# कुङ्कुम
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* কুঙ্কুম (Assamese script)
* ᬓᬸᬗ᭄ᬓᬸᬫ (Balinese script)
* কুঙ্কুম (Bengali script)
* 𑰎𑰲𑰒𑰿𑰎𑰲𑰦 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀓𑀼𑀗𑁆𑀓𑀼𑀫 (Brahmi script)
* ကုင်္ကုမ (Burmese script)
* કુઙ્કુમ (Gujarati script)
* ਕੁਙ੍ਕੁਮ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌕𑍁𑌙𑍍𑌕𑍁𑌮 (Grantha script)
* ꦏꦸꦔ꧀ꦏꦸꦩ (Javanese script)
* 𑂍𑂳𑂑𑂹𑂍𑂳𑂧 (Kaithi script)
* ಕುಙ್ಕುಮ (Kannada script)
* កុង្កុម (Khmer script)
* ກຸງ຺ກຸມ (Lao script)
* കുങ്കുമ (Malayalam script)
* ᡬᡠᢛᡬᡠᠮᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘎𑘳𑘒𑘿𑘎𑘳𑘦 (Modi script)
* ᢉᠤᢊᢉᠤᠮᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑦮𑧔𑦲𑧠𑦮𑧔𑧆 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐎𑐸𑐒𑑂𑐎𑐸𑐩 (Newa script)
* କୁଙ୍କୁମ (Odia script)
* ꢒꢸꢖ꣄ꢒꢸꢪ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆑𑆶𑆕𑇀𑆑𑆶𑆩 (Sharada script)
* 𑖎𑖲𑖒𑖿𑖎𑖲𑖦 (Siddham script)
* කුඞ‍්කුම (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩜𑩒𑩠 𑪙𑩜𑩒𑩴 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚊𑚰𑚎𑚶𑚊𑚰𑚢 (Takri script)
* குங்கும (Tamil script)
* కుఙ్కుమ (Telugu script)
* กุงฺกุม (Thai script)
* ཀུ་ངྐུ་མ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒏𑒳𑒓𑓂𑒏𑒳𑒧 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨋𑨃𑨏𑩇𑨋𑨃𑨢 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

A Kulturwort with ultimate place of origin uncertain, perhaps from the ancient city of Corycus in Anatolia, related to Ancient Greek κρόκος (krókos, “crocus, saffron”), Arabic كُرْكُم (kurkum, “turmeric, curcumin”), Akkadian 𒌑𒆪𒄀𒆸𒈾 (/⁠kurkanū⁠/), Hebrew כרכום (karkóm, “crocus”). The expected form based on the non-Sanskrit cognates, *कुर्कुम (kurkuma), has phonetically morphed into the current form. Perhaps related as well to Ancient Greek κᾰ́γκᾰμον (kánkamon, “bisabol gum”).

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /kuŋ.ku.mɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈkuŋ.ku.mɐ/

### Noun

कुङ्कुम • (kuṅkuma) stem, n
* saffron
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:केसर
* kumkum
** c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.11.33:गोप्यो रूढरथा नूत्नकुचकुङ्कुमकान्तयः। कृष्णलीला जगुः प्रीत्या निष्ककण्ठ्यः सुवाससः॥gopyo rūḍharathā nūtnakucakuṅkumakāntayaḥ. kṛṣṇalīlā jaguḥ prītyā niṣkakaṇṭhyaḥ suvāsasaḥ.The cowherd women, riding on the bullock carts, were dressed very nicely with excellent garments, and their bodies, especially their breasts, were decorated with fresh kuṅkuma powder. As they rode, they began to chant with great pleasure the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.
** c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.5.10:नवकुङ्कुमकिञ्जल्कमुखपङ्कजभूतयः। बलिभिस्त्वरितं जग्मुः पृथुश्रोण्यश्चलत्कुचाः॥navakuṅkumakiñjalkamukhapaṅkajabhūtayaḥ. balibhistvaritaṃ jagmuḥ pṛthuśroṇyaścalatkucāḥ.Their lotuslike faces extraordinarily beautiful, being decorated with saffron and newly grown kuṅkuma, the wives of the cowherd men hurried to the house of mother Yaśodā with presentations in their hands. Because of natural beauty, the wives had full hips and full breasts, which moved as they hurried along.

#### Descendants

* Pali: kuṅkuma
* Prakrit: 𑀓𑀼𑀁𑀓𑀼𑀫 (kuṃkuma) (see there for further descendants)
* → Arabic: كركم (kurkum)
* → Kannada: ಕುಂಕುಮ (kuṅkuma)
* → Malayalam: കുങ്കുമം (kuṅkumaṁ)
* → Tamil: குங்குமம் (kuṅkumam)
* → Telugu: కుంకుమ (kuṅkuma)

### Further reading

* Monier Williams (1899) “कुङ्कुम”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 287, column 3.
* Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “kuṅkuma”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 95
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 219
* Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “कुङ्कुम”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
* Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “कुङ्कुम”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kuṅkuma”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press