यक्ष

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

ᬬᬓ᭄ᬱ (Balinese script)
যক্ষ (Assamese script)
যক্ষ (Bengali script)
𑰧𑰎𑰿𑰬 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀬𑀓𑁆𑀱 (Brahmi script)
𑌯𑌕𑍍𑌷 (Grantha script)
યક્ષ (Gujarati script)
ਯਕੑਸ਼ (Gurmukhi script)
ꦪꦏ꧀ꦰ (Javanese script)
យក្ឞ (Khmer script)
ಯಕ್ಷ (Kannada script)
ຍກ຺ຩ (Lao script)
യക്ഷ (Malayalam script)
𑘧𑘎𑘿𑘬 (Modi script)
ᠶ᠋ᠠᢉᢔᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
ᠶᠠᡬᢢᠠ (Manchu script)
ယက္ၑ (Burmese script)
𑧇𑦮𑧠𑧌 (Nandinagari script)
𑐫𑐎𑑂𑐲 (Newa script)
ଯକ୍ଷ (Odia script)
ꢫꢒ꣄ꢰ (Saurashtra script)
𑆪𑆑𑇀𑆰 (Sharada script)
𑖧𑖎𑖿𑖬 (Siddham script)
යක්‍ෂ (Sinhalese script)
யக்ஷ (Tamil script)
యక్ష (Telugu script)
ยกฺษ (Thai script)
ཡ་ཀྵ (Tibetan script)
𑒨𑒏𑓂𑒭 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

From the root यक्ष् (yakṣ, “to appear, show oneself”), related to Persian ‎ (nešân, “sign, mark”); see there for more on the Indo-Iranian root.

Various other proposals have been suggested, such as an s-extension of यजति (yajati, “to worship; to sacrifice”), or a connection to याशु (yāśu, “sexual effusion, embrace”); these are phonetically and/or semantically unconvincing.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /jɐk.ʂɐ́/
(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈjɐk.ʂɐ/

Noun

यक्ष • (yakṣá) stem, n

(Hinduism, Buddhism) a yaksha; a supernatural being, spiritual apparition, spirit, ghost
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
- c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

Declension

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

Derived terms

यक्षि (yakṣi) (a female yaksha)
यक्षिणी (yakṣiṇī) (a female yaksha)

Noun

यक्ष • (yakṣá) stem, m

a class of semi-divine beings (attendants of Kubera, exceptionally also of Vishṇu; described as sons of Pulastya, of Pulaha, of Kaśyapa, of Khasā or Krodhā.)

Declension

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

Descendants

→ Chinese: 夜叉 (yècha)
- → Japanese: やしゃ (yasha)
- → Korean: 야차 (yacha)
Dardic:
- Kalasha: ǰ̣ač̣
→ English: yaksha
→ Kannada: ಯಕ್ಷ (yakṣa)
Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
→ Manchu: ᠶᠠᡴᠴᠠ (yakca)
Paisaci Prakrit:
- Punjabi: ਜੱਖ (jakkha)
Pali: yakkha
Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
- Old Gujarati: जाख (jākha)
- Old Hindi: जाक (jāka)
→ Lü: ᦍᧅ (yak)
→ Telugu: యక్షుడు (yakṣuḍu)
→ Thai: ยักษ์ (yák)
→ Tocharian B: yākṣe
→ Proto-Turkic: *jAkšɨ (“good”) (perhaps)

References

Monier Williams (1899), “यक्ष”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 838/2.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “yákar - YAKṢ-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 391
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “yā́śu- — yugá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 412
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 1
Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 213-214

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