Aspects of Vedic semantics and etymology: vedhás- and védi-.

Georges-Jean Pinault (1)

1 Mondes Iranien et Indien - UMR 7528

Discussion of the meaning of the noun Vedic vedhás-, masculine, which refers to a person connected with the order of the sacrifice. It has been proposed to translate it as 'ritual expert', even though it does not designate a specific priest. It can refers both to the gods, as 'worthy of worship' and to the humans, as 'engaged in the ritual performance, worshipper'. The etymological analysis of this noun is not yet ascertained. It is proposed to derive it from a phrase combining the root *sed- 'to sit' and the adverbial prefix *we- 'away, off'. The same combination underlies the noun védi-, which refers to the piece of ground used as altar. This is the ritual seat, separated from the profane world, and reserved for the gods and the worshippers. Since Vedic vedhás- has a match in Avestan vazdah-, these words reflect the cult of the Common Indo-Iranian time.

Mots clés: Rigveda; Vedic etymology; Vedic ritual; Old Indo-Aryan; Vedic hymns; Vedic studies; Old Iranian languages; Avestan language

Domaines: Linguistique; Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie; Religions

Georges-Jean Pinault. Aspects of Vedic semantics and etymology: vedhás- and védi-. . Jared S. Klein; Kazuhiko Yoshida. Indic across the Millenia: from the Rigveda to Modern Indo-Aryan. World Sanskrit Conference (Kyoto, Japan, 1-5 September 2009). Proceedings of the Linguistic Section , Hempen Verlag, pp.113-134, 2012, 978-3-934106-05-5. ⟨halshs-01446745⟩