अगरबत्ती

Hindi

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Etymology

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अगर (agar, aloe) +‎ बत्ती (battī, candle). Compare Punjabi ਅਗਰਬੱਤੀ (agarbattī). Borrowed from Dravidian,[1] probably Tamil அகில் (akil).[2]

Pronunciation

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  • (Delhi) IPA(key): /ə.ɡəɾ.bət̪.t̪iː/, [ɐ.ɡɐɾ.bɐt̪̚.t̪iː]
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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अगरबत्ती (agarbattīf (Urdu spelling اگربتی)

  1. incense stick, scented candle

Declension

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References

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  1. ^ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “agaru”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ Shulman, David Dean (2016) Tamil: A biography, Harvard University Press, pages 19-20:
    We have ahalim [in Hebrew], probably derived directly from Tamil akil rather than from Sanskrit aguru, itself a loan from the Tamil (Numbers 24.8; Proverbs 7.17; Song of Songs 4.14; Psalms 45.9--the latter two instances with the feminine plural form ahalot. Akil is, we think, native to South India, and it is thus not surprising that the word was borrowed by cultures that imported this plant.