वा

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit वा (vā).

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː/, [ʋäː]

वा • (vā) (Urdu spelling وا‎)

1. (formal, rare) or

   Synonyms: अथवा (athvā), (more common) या (yā)

• Platts, John T. (1884), “वा”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.

From Sanskrit वा (vā).

वा • (vā) (Latin script va, Kannada script ವಾ)

1. or

• IPA^(key): [wa]

वा • (wā) ? (Newa Spelling 𑐰𑐵)

1. rain

Likely from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s/p-wa.

वा • (wā) ? (Newa Spelling 𑐰𑐵)

1. tooth

वा

1. Devanagari script form of vā
   • c. 500 AD, Kaccāyana, Pālivyākaraṇaṃ [Pali Grammar]‎ (in Pali), page 6; republished as Satish Chandra Acharyya Vidyabhusana, editor, Kaccayana's Pali Grammar (edited in Devanagari character and translated into English), Calcutta, Bengal: Mahabodhi Society, 1901:

     या च पन सक्कतगन्थेसु समञ्ञा घोसाति वाघोसाति वा ता पयोगे सति एत्थापि पयुज्जते

     Yā ca pana sakkataganthesu samaññā ghosāti vāghosāti vā tā payoge sati etthāpi payujjate.

     And moreover that designation either 'voiced' or 'unvoiced' which is in Sanskrit texts is applied even here when there is occasion.

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː/

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *-wā (“or”), from Proto-Indo-European *-wē (“or”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬬𐬁‎ (vā), Old Persian 𐎺𐎠 (v-a /vā/), Ancient Greek ἤ (ḗ) and Latin -ve.

वा • (vā)

1. or
2. or, preferably (marking the preferred of two alternatives) (Pāṇini)

• Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀯 (va /vā/)
  • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀯𑀸 (vā)
• → Bengali: বা (ba)
• Pali: vā
• → Hindustani:
  • Hindi: वा (vā)
  • Urdu: وا‎ (vā)
• → Kannada: ವಾ (vā)
• Konkani: वा

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”).

वा • (√vā)

1. to blow

• निर्वाण (nirvāṇa, “blown out, extinguished; nirvana”)

Probably from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bja ~ bra (“bird”).

वा (wa)

1. hen, chicken

• “वा”, in याम्फु - नेपाली - अङ्ग्रेजी शब्दकोश (Yamphu - Nepali - English Dictionary), Nepal: SIL International, 2019.