Dear Toke,

It seems possible that Sanskrit makura- 'mirror' is a Dravidian loanword, derived from the root *makul- 'to turn round, be turned upside down, return, turn back' (DEDR 4617), cf. Tulu maguṛu, magaṛu, magṛu 'next, following; again, once more'; maguṛ-uttaro 'reply', and maguṛudani 'echo'; maguru muṭṭuni 'to crop up again, to oppose, counteract; Telugu maguḍa, magiḍi 'again, anew, back, in return'.  Of course one would like to get a better confirmation than Tamil makuram 'mirror', which can come from Sanskrit.  

On Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 11:05 AM, Toke Lindegaard Knudsen via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
Hi all,

The two Sanskrit words mukura and makura both mean ‘mirror.’ I’m trying to understand their etymology.

Other meanings given in MW are ‘the stick or handle of a potter's wheel’ and ‘a bud, blossom.’ Turner’s _A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages_ connects the words to mukula and bakula, meaning ‘bud’ and ‘the tree Mimusops elengi,’ respectively. Burrow and Emeneau’s _Dravidian Etymological Dictionary_ (entry 4619), also connects the two words with  Mimusops elengi.

How did mukura and makura come to mean ‘mirror’ in Sanskrit?

Many thanks in advance.

All best wishes,
Toke

-----
Toke Lindegaard Knudsen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow
Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies
University of Copenhagen

<toke.knudsen@hum.ku.dk>
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