रात्री

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

रात्रि (rā́tri) — later variant (see there for further descendants)

Alternative scripts

ৰাত্ৰী (Assamese script)
ᬭᬵᬢ᭄ᬭᬷ (Balinese script)
রাত্রী (Bengali script)
𑰨𑰯𑰝𑰿𑰨𑰱 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀭𑀸𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀻 (Brahmi script)
ရာတြီ (Burmese script)
રાત્રી (Gujarati script)
ਰਾਤ੍ਰੀ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌰𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌰𑍀 (Grantha script)
ꦫꦴꦠꦿꦷ (Javanese script)
𑂩𑂰𑂞𑂹𑂩𑂲 (Kaithi script)
ರಾತ್ರೀ (Kannada script)
រាត្រី (Khmer script)
ຣາຕ຺ຣີ (Lao script)
രാത്രീ (Malayalam script)
ᡵᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢠᡵᡳᡳ (Manchu script)
𑘨𑘰𑘝𑘿𑘨𑘲 (Modi script)
ᠷᠠᢗᢐᠷᠢᠢ (Mongolian script)
𑧈𑧑𑦽𑧠𑧈𑧓 (Nandinagari script)
𑐬𑐵𑐟𑑂𑐬𑐷 (Newa script)
ରାତ୍ରୀ (Odia script)
ꢬꢵꢡ꣄ꢬꢷ (Saurashtra script)
𑆫𑆳𑆠𑇀𑆫𑆵 (Sharada script)
𑖨𑖯𑖝𑖿𑖨𑖱 (Siddham script)
රාත්‍රී (Sinhalese script)
𑩼𑩛𑩫 𑪙𑩼𑩑𑩛 (Soyombo script)
𑚤𑚭𑚙𑚶𑚤𑚯 (Takri script)
ராத்ரீ (Tamil script)
రాత్రీ (Telugu script)
ราตฺรี (Thai script)
རཱ་ཏྲཱི (Tibetan script)
𑒩𑒰𑒞𑓂𑒩𑒲 (Tirhuta script)
𑨫𑨊𑨙𑩇𑨫𑨁𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂

Proto-Indo-European *-trih₂

Proto-Indo-Iranian *HráHtriH

Sanskrit रात्री (rātrī)

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Iranian *HráHtriH, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁réh₁-trih₂, from the root *h₁reh₁- (“quiet, lonely”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬭𐬁𐬨𐬀𐬥 (rāman, “peace, tranquility”), Proto-Germanic *rōō (“calm, quiet, peace”), whence German Ruhe (“calm, peace, rest”). The Rigveda exclusively uses रात्री (rā́trī) and the term gradually started falling out of use and started being replaced by the variant रात्रि (rā́tri) from the Middle Vedic period onwards. While post-Rigveda Vedic texts use both the variants, Classical Sanskrit only attests रात्रि (rātri).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɾɑ́ːt.ɾiː/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɾɑːt̪.ɾiː/

Noun

रात्री • (rā́trī) stem, f ^[1]^[2]^[3]

(Vedic) night
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.81.4:
  उत रात्रीम् उभयतः परीयस उत मित्रो भवसि देव धर्मभिः ॥
  uta rātrīm ubhayataḥ parīyasa uta mitro bhavasi deva dharmabhiḥ.
  Around, on both sides thou encompassest the night: yea, thou, O God, art Mitra through thy righteous laws.

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of रात्री (rā́trī)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	रात्री rā́trī	रात्र्यौ / रात्री¹ rā́tryau / rā́trī¹	रात्र्यः / रात्रीः¹ rā́tryaḥ / rā́trīḥ¹
Vocative	रात्रि rā́tri	रात्र्यौ / रात्री¹ rā́tryau / rā́trī¹	रात्र्यः / रात्रीः¹ rā́tryaḥ / rā́trīḥ¹
Accusative	रात्रीम् rā́trīm	रात्र्यौ / रात्री¹ rā́tryau / rā́trī¹	रात्रीः rā́trīḥ
Instrumental	रात्र्या rā́tryā	रात्रीभ्याम् rā́trībhyām	रात्रीभिः rā́trībhiḥ
Dative	रात्र्यै rā́tryai	रात्रीभ्याम् rā́trībhyām	रात्रीभ्यः rā́trībhyaḥ
Ablative	रात्र्याः / रात्र्यै² rā́tryāḥ / rā́tryai²	रात्रीभ्याम् rā́trībhyām	रात्रीभ्यः rā́trībhyaḥ
Genitive	रात्र्याः / रात्र्यै² rā́tryāḥ / rā́tryai²	रात्र्योः rā́tryoḥ	रात्रीणाम् rā́trīṇām
Locative	रात्र्याम् rā́tryām	रात्र्योः rā́tryoḥ	रात्रीषु rā́trīṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

References

^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “rā́trī”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 447
^ Lubotsky, Alexander (2011) “rā́trī-”, in The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University
^ Monier Williams (1899) “रात्री”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 876.

[1] Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “rā́trī”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 447

[2] Lubotsky, Alexander (2011) “rā́trī-”, in The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University

[3] Monier Williams (1899) “रात्री”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 876.

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