वाम

Borrowed from Sanskrit वाम (vāma).

वाम • (vāma)

1. left side

From Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁-mó (“to love, wish”); compare वनोति (vanoti).

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.mɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑː.mɐ/

वाम • (vāma) stem (root वन्)

1. lovely, dear, pleasant, agreeable, fair, beautiful, splendid, noble
2. (at the end of a compound) striving after, eager for, intent upon, fond of
3. relating to a mare
4. (at the end of a compound) striving after, eager for

वाम • (vāma) stem, m

1. the female breast
2. (Hinduism) the god of love; an epithet for several gods

वाम • (vāma) stem, n

1. a lovely thing, any dear or desirable good (as gold, horses, etc)
2. wealth, fortune

Of uncertain origin.

Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂-mós, from *h₁weh₂- (“to leave”); related to ऊन (ūna, “deficient, wanting”).

Alternatively, perhaps a semantic extension of Etymology 1, using the meaning of "lovely" to euphemistically refer to the "normally inauspicious left side", though the semantic shift is not very obvious.

See also वामन (vāmana).

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑ́ː.mɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑː.mɐ/

वाम • (vāma) stem

1. left, not right, being or situated on the left side (the quivering of the left eye or arm is supposed to be a good omen in women and of the left arm a bad omen in men)
2. reverse, adverse, contrary, opposite, unfavorable
3. crooked, oblique (अम् ind. sideways)
4. refractory, coy (in love)
5. acting in the opposite way or differently
6. hard, cruel
7. vile, wicked, base, low, bad

वाम • (vāma) stem, m

1. the left side

   वामाद् दक्षिणम्

   vāmād dakṣiṇam

   from left to right

   वामेन

   vāmena

   on the left

2. the left hand
3. a snake
4. an animal, sentient being

वाम • (vāma) stem, n

1. the left side
2. adversity, misfortune
3. the left-hand practices of the followers of the Tantras

• वामक (vāmaka)
• वामतस् (vāmatas, “from the left”)
• वामम् (vāmam, “sideways”)

Some descendants may also continue वामक (vāmaka).

• Prakrit: 𑀯𑀸𑀫 (vāma)
  • Old Gujarati: वाम (vāma)
    • Gujarati: વામ (vām)
  • Sinhalese: වම (wama)
  • Hindustani:

    Hindi: बायाँ (bāyā̃, “the left”), बाएँ (bāẽ, “to the left”) (through the instrumental)

    Urdu: بایاں (bāyā̃), بائیں (bāẽ)

  • Bengali: বাঁ (bã)
  • Early Assamese: বাম (bamo)
    • Assamese: বাওঁ (baü̃)
• Pali: vāma
• → Hindi: वाम (vām) (learned)
• → Bengali: বাম (bam) (learned)

• Monier Williams (1899) “वाम”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 941/2-3.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “वाम”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 543-544
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 189