# अलक (alaka)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/alaka

अलक (alaka) is a Sanskrit word meaning a curl or lock of hair, a mad dog, name of a people, an inhabitant of Alaka, Kubera's residence, a girl from eight to ten years of age, the capital of Kubera. Its 16 recorded definitions are grouped into 7 contexts, among them Curl or Lock of Hair, A People or Inhabitants, A Mad Dog.

- **Etymology:** E. अल to adorn, &c. वुन् affix, and fem. टाप् — E. ala to adorn, &c. vun affix, and fem. ṭāp
- **SLP1:** `alaka`  **IAST:** alaka  **Devanagari:** अलक
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaka
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/alaka/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** अलाक (alāka), अलका (alakā)

## Meanings by context

### Curl or Lock of Hair (9 definitions)
- A curl or lock of hair  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 94,1] अलक (alaka) m. n. ( ifc. f( आ (ā) ). ) a curl, lock, Ragh. &c. [ ID=16518 ]
- 1. A lock of curly hair. 2. The city of Kubera.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अलक (alaka) [Printed book page 028-3 ] अलक (alaka) alaka, m. n. lock, curly hair; ā, f. N. of Kuberaʼs city; N. of a city in Niṣadha. [ ID=2684 ]
- 1. A curl. 2. A mad dog. 3. Alaka, the capital of Kuvera. 4. A young girl from eight to ten years of age.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अल (ala) क (alaka) [Printed book page 072 ] अल (ala) क (alaka) mn. ( - कः (-kaḥ)- कं (-kaḥ-kaṃ) ) A curl. m. ( - कः (-kaḥ) ) A mad dog. See अल (ala) र्क (alarka). f. ( - का (-kā) ) 1 Alakā, the capital of KUVERA. 2 A young girl from eight to ten years of age. E. अल (ala) to adorn, &c. वुन् (vun) affix, and fem. टाप् (ṭāp). [ ID=3451 ]
- 1. A curl or a mad dog. 2. Kuvera's capital.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अलक (alaka) [Printed book page 056-b ] अलक (alaka) ( कः - कं ) ((kaḥ-kaṃ)) 1. m. A curl; a mad dog. का (kā) f. Kuvera's capital. [ ID=2897 ]
- 1. Hair or a curl. 2. Curls on the forehead. 3. Saffron applied to the body.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अलक (alaka) [Printed book page 068-24 ] अलक (alaka) m.n. 1. Hair, a curl, हस्ते लीलाकमलमलके बालकुन्दानुविद्धम् (haste līlākamalamalake bālakundānuviddham) Megh. ii.2, ( Mall. quotes in his comment on this Śloka. ‘ स्वभाववक्राण्यलकानि तासाम् (svabhāvavakrāṇyalakāni tāsām) ’ to show that अलक (alaka) is used in the neuter also), R. i.42, iv.54; 2. curls on the forehead; 3. saffron applied to the body. [ ID=3544 ]
- 1. A curl. 2. A mad dog. 3. The capital of Kuvera. 4. A young girl from eight to ten years of age.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अल (ala) क (alaka) [Printed book page 060-a ] अल (ala) क (alaka) mn. ( - कः (-kaḥ)- कं (-kaḥ-kaṃ) ) A curl. m. ( - कः (-kaḥ) ) A mad dog. See अल (ala) र्क (alarka) f. ( - का (-kā) ) 1. Alaka, the capital of KUVERA. 2. A young girl from eight to ten years of age. E. अल (ala) to adorn, &c. वुन् (vun) affix, and fem. टाप् (ṭāp). [ ID=3449 ]
- 1. A curl. 2. The capital of Kuvera.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अलक (alaka) [Printed book page 0053-b ] अलक (alaka) alaka. I. m. and n. A curl, Ṛt. 6, 6. II. f. kā, The capital of Kuvera, Megh. 7. — Comp. Latā-, m. an elephant. [ ID=1069 ]
- 1. A curl. 2. Kubera's residence.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अलक (alaka) [Printed book page 043 ] अलक (alaka) m. n. curl. f. आ (ā) Kubera's residence. [ ID=2961 ]
- 1. A curl or lock of hair. 2. A mad dog. 3. A girl from eight to ten years of age. 4. The capital of Kuvera.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > अलक (alaka) [Printed book page 0085-c ] अलक (alaka) alaka, as, am, m. n. (said to be fr. rt. al ), a curl, lock; ( as ), m. a mad dog [cf. alarka ]; ( ā ), f. a girl from eight to ten years of age; N. of the capital of Kuvera, situated on a peak of the Himālaya inhabited also by Śiva. —Alaka-tva, am, n. the state of a curl or tress. —Alaka-nandā, f. a young girl from eight to ten years old; N. of the Gaṅgā river; N. of a river that runs from the Himālaya moun- tains and falls into the Gaṅgā. —Alaka-prabhā, f. the capital of Kuvera. —Alaka-priya, as, m., N. of the plant Terminalia Tomentosa W. and A. —Alaka-saṃhati, is, f. rows of curls. —Alakā- dhipa (°kā-adh°), as, m. or alakādhipati (°kā- adh°), is, m. a N. of Kuvera. —Alakānta (°ka-an°), as, m. the end of a curl, a ringlet. —Alakeśvara (°kā-īś°), as, m. a N. of Kuvera. [ ID=5982 ]

### A People or Inhabitants (2 definitions)
- name of a people  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > अलक (alaka) m. pl. N. of a people, VarBṛS. [ ID=16520 ]
- an inhabitant of Alaka, Kubera's residence  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > अलक (alaka) m. of the Inhabitants of Kubera's residence Alakā, Mahābhārata (Title) iii, 11813 [ ID=16521 ]

### A Mad Dog (1 definition)
- a mad dog  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > अलक (alaka) m. (= अलर्क (alarka), q.v. ) a mad dog, L. [ ID=16519 ]

### A Town in Niṣadha (1 definition)
- an epithet of a town in Nishadha  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a town in Niṣadha, Kathās. [ ID=16524 ]

### A Young Girl (1 definition)
- a girl from eight to ten years of age  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 94,1] अलका (alakā) f. ( g. क्षिपका (kṣipakā) दि (di), q.v. ) a girl from eight to ten years of age, L. [ ID=16522 ]

### Kubera's Capital City (1 definition)
- the capital of Kubera  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of the capital of Kubera (situated on a peak of the Himālaya inhabited also by Śiva), Kumāra-sambhava (Title) vi, 37, &c. [ ID=16523 ]

### Name of a Sage (1 definition)
- a shrutarshi  
  *The Purana Index*
  > अलक (alaka) [Printed book page 1-114 ] Alaka — a Śrutaṛṣi. Br. II. 33. 4. [ ID=897 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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