[Facts] Re: Is ELINA Sanskrit word?
by তন্ময় ভট্টাচার্য্য (guest)
2/23/2011, 7:23 AM
I doubt it. But, since the mapping from the roman script to devnagari is imperfect at best, I can't be absolutely sure.
On the internet somebody claimed that it is Gandhi's book as an Indian name meaning 'woman of intelligence'. I have no idea where she got that from.
The closest I can find, either as a word or as a mythological figure in Sanskrit, is ilinA (both i's short as in English hit) and ilinI (the last -I long as in heat), both of which are used as names in myhtology. These probably come from a ilA (originally probably with a r, retroflex l or D), with the originally Indoeuropean root associated with progress or motion, and meaning a refreshing drink, but soon associated with speech.