वाण

Of unclear origin.

Müller connects the word to Proto-Iranian *vāna-ka-, reflected in Persian بانگ (bâng, “voice, noise”). However, the Persian term is likely derived from Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs (“voice, speech”), whence वाच् (vāc, “speech”), while वाण (vāṇa) is not easily derivable from that root.

Turner's attempt to link the word to Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to speak, say”) is formally unconvincing. Mayrhofer also rejects connections to वण् (vaṇ, “to sound”) and leaves the origin of the latter open.

Alternatively, Kuiper takes the word as a Munda borrowing.

Whether or not the "arrow" meaning is a semantic extension of the "noise" meaning or a phonetic variant of बाण (bāṇa, “arrow”) is uncertain.

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.ɳɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑː.ɳɐ/

वाण • (vāṇá) stem, m

1. sounding, a sound (Kir.)
2. an arrow
3. music (especially of flutes, harps, etc.)
4. (music) a harp with 100 strings (TS., Br., ŚrS.)

वाण • (vāṇa) stem, n

1. the sound of a particular small hand drum (L.)

• वाणी (vā́ṇī)

• Monier Williams (1899) “वाण”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0939/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 541
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 130; 184