पक्ष्मन्

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *páćšma, from Proto-Indo-European *poḱ-s-mn̥ (“hair, whiskers”), from *peḱ- (“to shear, pluck”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬱𐬨𐬀𐬥 (pašman), Persian پشم (pašm, “wool”), Old English feax (“hair of the head”) (whence English fax).

This term underwent a great deal of alteration in the late Old Indo-Aryan and early Middle Indo-Aryan stage, possibly at least partly due to substratal influence.

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɐ́kʂ.mɐn/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈpɐkʂ.mɐn̪/

पक्ष्मन् • (pákṣman) stem, n

1. eyelash
   • c. 1200 BCE – 800 BCE, Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda (Taittirīya Saṃhitā) VI.2.1.5:

     ...प्रजापतेर् वा एतानि पक्ष्माणि यद् अश्ववाला ऐक्षवी तिरश्ची

     ...prajāpater vā etāni pakṣmāṇi yad aśvavālā aikṣavī tiraścī

     ...Now the Saccharum spontaneum shoots represent the eyelashes of Prajapati, and his eyelids are represented by pieces of sugar-cane.

2. hair of deer
3. the filament of a flower

• Dardic:
  • Kalasha: paṣ
  • Kashmiri: پھَمب (phamb)
  • Khowar: پوݰپ (poṣp)
  • Kohistani Shina: پپیں (papăĩ)
  • Phalura: پام (pām)
  • Shina: پݜ (păṣ)
  • Torwali: پام (pām)
• Pali: pamha, pakhuma
• Prakrit: 𑀧𑀫𑁆𑀳 (pamha), 𑀧𑁄𑀫𑁆𑀳 (pŏmha) (see there for further descendants)

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “pakṣman”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press