यष्टि

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /jɐʂ.ʈi/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈjɐʂ.ʈi/

Probably from a misreading of इष्टि (iṣṭi, “impulse, seeking, sacrificing”).

यष्टि • (yaṣṭi) stem, f

1. sacrificing

Of unknown origin, with multiple unconvincing theories proposed (inc. being a relative of यूका (yūkā, “louse”)); contamination with लकुट (lakuṭa, “club”) is the possible source of Ashokan Prakrit *𑀮𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀺 (*laṣṭi), whence words in modern descendants like Hindi लाठी (lāṭhī), Bengali লাঠি (laṭhi). Compare late Avestan 𐬪𐬀𐬑𐬱𐬙𐬌 (ẏaxšti).^[1]

Similar words in modern Iranic, such as Pashto (laṧta, “rod”), are probably borrowed from the Prakrit form rather than inherited from a common source.

यष्टि • (yaṣṭi) stem, f यष्टि • (yaṣṭi) stem, n

1. "any support": a staff, stick, wand, rod, mace, club, cudgel
2. pole, pillar, perch
3. a flagstaff
4. a stalk, stem, branch, twig
5. (at the end of compounds) anything thin or slender
6. the blade of a sword
7. a thread, string (esp. of pearls)
8. a particular kind of pearl necklace
9. licorice
10. sugarcane
11. any creeping plant

• Pali: yaṭṭhi

• Monier Williams (1899) “यष्टि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 840/3, 848/3.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 406
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 12-3

• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “yaṣṭi”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.