नक्षत्र

Borrowed from Sanskrit नक्षत्र (nákṣatra).

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /nək.ʂət̪.ɾᵊ/, [n̪ək.ʃət̪.ɾᵊ]

नक्षत्र • (nakṣatra) m

1. star or any astronomical object
2. constellation

• (star) तारा (tārā), सितारा (sitārā)
• (constellation) तारामंडल (tārāmaṇḍal)

Possibly from an earlier *nák-kṣatra (“ruling over the night”), from नक् (nák, “night”) + क्षत्र (kṣatra, “dominion, rule”). Alternatively, from the root नक्ष् (nakṣ, “to reach”).

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /nɐ́k.ʂɐt.ɾɐ/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /n̪ɐkˈʂɐt̪.ɾɐ/

नक्षत्र • (nákṣatra) n or m

1. a star or any heavenly body
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 6.67.6:

     ता हि क्षत्रं धारयेथे अनु द्यून्दृंहेथे सानुमुपमादिव द्योः।
     दृळ्हो नक्षत्र उत विश्वदेवो भूमिमातान्द्यां धासिनायोः॥

     tā hi kṣatraṃ dhārayethe anu dyūndṛṃhethe sānumupamādiva dyoḥ.
     dṛḷho nakṣatra uta viśvadevo bhūmimātāndyāṃ dhāsināyoḥ.

     So, through the days maintaining princely power. ye prop the height as ’twere from loftiest heaven.
     The Star of all the Gods, established, filleth the heaven and earth with food of man who liveth.

   Synonyms: स्तृ (stṛ), तृ (tṛ)

2. the Sun
3. an asterism or constellation through which the moon passes, a lunar mansion
   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

• Gandhari: 𐨣𐨐𐨿𐨮𐨟𐨿𐨪‎ (nakṣatra)
• Pali: nakkhatta
• Prakrit: 𑀡𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀢𑁆𑀢 (ṇakkhatta)
• → Hindi: नक्षत्र (nakṣatra)
• → Kannada: ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ (nakṣatra)
• → Khmer: នក្សត្រ (nĕəksat)
• → Malayalam: നക്ഷത്രം (nakṣatraṃ)
• → Tamil: நட்சத்திரம் (naṭcattiram)
• → Telugu: నక్షత్రము (nakṣatramu)
• → Thai: นักษัตร (nák-sàt)

• Monier Williams (1899), “नक्षत्र”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0524.