कलङ्क

Related to कलुष (kaluṣa, “turbid, foul”), with further origin uncertain. Perhaps borrowed from Dravidian; compare Tamil கலங்கு (kalaṅku, “to become cloudy”), கலுழ் (kaluḻ, “to become cloudy”), and கலுழி (kaluḻi, “puddle”), as well as Kannada ಕಲುಹೆ (kaluhe, “dirt”). An Indo-European origin is possible as well; compare कलुष (kaluṣa) with Middle High German hilwe (“fine fog”).

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐ.lɐŋ.kɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /kɐˈl̪ɐŋ.kɐ/

कलङ्क • (kalaṅka) stem, m

1. a stain, spot, mark, soil
2. defamation, blame

• Monier Williams (1899) “कलङ्क”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 260/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 70
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 177; 182