रात्रि

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit रात्रि (rātri). Doublet of रात (rāt).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ɾɑːt̪.ɾiː/, [ɾäːt̪.ɾiː]

Noun

रात्रि • (rātri) f

1. night

   Synonyms: रात (rāt), निशा (niśā), रजनी (rajnī)

Declension

Declension of रात्रि (fem i-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	रात्रि rātri	रात्रियाँ rātriyā̃
oblique	रात्रि rātri	रात्रियों rātriyõ
vocative	रात्रि rātri	रात्रियो rātriyo

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৰাত্ৰি (Assamese script)
• ᬭᬵᬢ᭄ᬭᬶ (Balinese script)
• রাত্রি (Bengali script)
• 𑰨𑰯𑰝𑰿𑰨𑰰 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀭𑀸𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀺 (Brahmi script)
• ရာတြိ (Burmese script)
• રાત્રિ (Gujarati script)
• ਰਾਤ੍ਰਿ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌰𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌰𑌿 (Grantha script)
• ꦫꦴꦠꦿꦶ (Javanese script)
• 𑂩𑂰𑂞𑂹𑂩𑂱 (Kaithi script)
• ರಾತ್ರಿ (Kannada script)
• រាត្រិ (Khmer script)
• ຣາຕ຺ຣິ (Lao script)
• രാത്രി (Malayalam script)
• ᡵᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢠᡵᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘨𑘰𑘝𑘿𑘨𑘱 (Modi script)
• ᠷᠠᢗᢐᠷᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧈𑧑𑦽𑧠𑧈𑧒 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐬𑐵𑐟𑑂𑐬𑐶 (Newa script)
• ରାତ୍ରି (Odia script)
• ꢬꢵꢡ꣄ꢬꢶ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆫𑆳𑆠𑇀𑆫𑆴 (Sharada script)
• 𑖨𑖯𑖝𑖿𑖨𑖰 (Siddham script)
• රාත්‍රි (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩼𑩛𑩫 𑪙𑩼𑩑 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚤𑚭𑚙𑚶𑚤𑚮 (Takri script)
• ராத்ரி (Tamil script)
• రాత్రి (Telugu script)
• ราตฺริ (Thai script)
• རཱ་ཏྲི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒩𑒰𑒞𑓂𑒩𑒱 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨫𑨊𑨙𑩇𑨫𑨁 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Attested from the Middle Vedic period onwards, the term arose as a dialectal variant of an older रात्री (rā́trī). The Rigveda only attests रात्री (rā́trī) but the Vedic texts that came after the Rigveda attest both the variants. In Classical Sanskrit literature, only रात्रि (rātri) is attested and all the Middle Indo-Aryan reflexes are formally descended from this variant, suggesting that the older form रात्री (rā́trī) completely fell out of use by the end of the Vedic period.

Although not common, variations of a similar nature have also been observed in नारी (nā́rī) ~ नारि (nā́ri) and नप्ती (naptī́) ~ नप्ति (naptí). The presence of such alteration in other languages (see नप्ति (napti)) suggests that such variants with shortened vowels are not completely unetymological and may have existed as dialectal variants in Proto-Indo-Iranian and Proto-Indo-European. For further etymology and cognates, see रात्री (rā́trī).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɾɑ́ːt.ɾi/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɾɑːt̪.ɾi/

Noun

रात्रि • (rā́tri) stem, f

1. night

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:रात्रि

   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 16.7:

     यददोअदो अभ्यगछं यद्दोषा यत्पूर्वां रात्रिम् ॥
     यज्जाग्रद्यत्सुप्तो यद्दिवा यन् नक्तम् ॥
     यदहरहरभिगछामि तस्मादेनमव दये ॥
     तं जहि तेन मन्दस्व तस्य पृष्टीरपि शृणीहि ॥
     स मा जीवीत्तं प्राणो जहातु ॥

     yadadoado abhyagachaṃ yaddoṣā yatpūrvāṃ rātrim .
     yajjāgradyatsupto yaddivā yan naktam .
     yadaharaharabhigachāmi tasmādenamava daye .
     taṃ jahi tena mandasva tasya pṛṣṭīrapi śṛṇīhi .
     sa mā jīvīttaṃ prāṇo jahātu .

     Whatever [enemy] I have met with, whether at dusk or during early night,
     Whether waking or sleeping, whether by day or by night.
     Whether I meet with it day by day, from that do I bribe him away.
     Slay him; rejoice in this; crush his ribs.
     Let him not live. Let the breath of life forsake him.

Declension

Feminine i-stem declension of रात्रि (rā́tri)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	रात्रिः rā́triḥ	रात्री rā́trī	रात्रयः rā́trayaḥ
Vocative	रात्रे rā́tre	रात्री rā́trī	रात्रयः rā́trayaḥ
Accusative	रात्रिम् rā́trim	रात्री rā́trī	रात्रीः rā́trīḥ
Instrumental	रात्र्या / रात्री¹ rā́tryā / rā́trī¹	रात्रिभ्याम् rā́tribhyām	रात्रिभिः rā́tribhiḥ
Dative	रात्रये / रात्र्यै² / रात्री¹ rā́traye / rā́tryai² / rā́trī¹	रात्रिभ्याम् rā́tribhyām	रात्रिभ्यः rā́tribhyaḥ
Ablative	रात्रेः / रात्र्याः² / रात्र्यै³ rā́treḥ / rā́tryāḥ² / rā́tryai³	रात्रिभ्याम् rā́tribhyām	रात्रिभ्यः rā́tribhyaḥ
Genitive	रात्रेः / रात्र्याः² / रात्र्यै³ rā́treḥ / rā́tryāḥ² / rā́tryai³	रात्र्योः rā́tryoḥ	रात्रीणाम् rā́trīṇām
Locative	रात्रौ / रात्र्याम्² / रात्रा¹ rā́trau / rā́tryām² / rā́trā¹	रात्र्योः rā́tryoḥ	रात्रिषु rā́triṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Later Sanskrit ³Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kalasha: رات (rat)
  • Kashmiri:
    • Arabic script: راتھ (rāth)
    • Devanagari script: राथ (rāth)
  • Phalura: رات (raát)
• Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀮𑀸𑀢𑀺 (lāti), *𑀭𑀸𑀢𑀺 (*rāti), *𑀭𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀺 (*ratti)
  • Prakrit: 𑀭𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀺 (ratti), 𑀭𑀸𑀇 (rāi) (see there for further descendants)
• Gandhari: 𐨪𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨁 (ratri)
• Pali: ratti
• → Bengali: রাত্রি (ratri)
• → Hindi: रात्रि (rātri)
• → Kannada: ರಾತ್ರಿ (rātri)
• → Khmer: រាត្រី (riətrəy)
• → Malayalam: രാത്രി (rātri)
• → Marathi: रात्र (rātra)
• → Tamil: இராத்திரி (irāttiri), ராத்திரி (rāttiri)
• → Telugu: రాత్రి (rātri)
• → Thai: ราตรี (raa-dtrii)

See also

• नक्ति (nákti)
• क्षप् (kṣáp)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “रात्रि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 876, column 1.