# आसव (āsava)

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

आसव (āsava) is a Sanskrit word meaning distilling or distillation, decoction, juice, the nectar of a woman's lips, exciting, enlivening, rum or spirit distilled from molasses. Its 20 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them Spirituous Liquor / Alcoholic Drink, Exciting / Enlivening Effect or Act, Juice / Nectar.

- **Etymology:** E. आङ्, षूञ् to be generated, and अप् aff — E. āṅ, ṣūñ to be generated, and ap aff
- **SLP1:** `Asava`  **IAST:** āsava  **Devanagari:** आसव
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asava
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/asava/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** आसाव (āsāva)

## Meanings by context

### Spirituous Liquor / Alcoholic Drink (10 definitions)
- spirit distilled from sugar or molasses, spirituous liquor in general  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > rum, spirit distilled from sugar or molasses, spirituous liquor in general [ ID=28031 ]
- distilled spirit or spirituous liquor  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 044-1 ] आसव (āsava) ā-sava, m. distilled spirit, spirituous liquor, rum. [ ID=3999 ]
- 1. Rum or spirit distilled from molasses. 2. Spirituous liquor in general.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 126 ] आसव (āsava) n. ( - वं (-vaṃ) ) 1 Rum, spirit distilled from sugar or molasses. 2 Spirituous liquor in general. E. आङ्, षूञ् (āṅ, ṣūñ) to be generated, and अप् (ap) aff. [ ID=6046 ]
- Rum  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 102-a ] आ - सव (ā-sava) ( वं ) ((vaṃ)) 1. n. Rum. [ ID=5427 ]
- 1. Distillation or decoction. 2. Spirituous liquor.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 113-08 ] आसव (āsava) m. 1. Distillation, decoction; 2. spirituous liquor, अनासवाख्यं करणं मदस्य (anāsavākhyaṃ karaṇaṃ madasya) K.S. i.31. [ ID=5612 ]
- 1. Rum or spirit distilled from sugar or molasses. 2. Spirituous liquor in general.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 103-b ] आसव (āsava) n. ( - वं (-vaṃ) ) 1. Rum, spirit distilled from sugar or molasses. 2. Spirituous liquor in general. E. आङ् (āṅ) before षूञ् (ṣūñ) to be generated, and अप् (ap) aff. [ ID=6044 ]
- A distilled spirit  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 0093-a ] आसव (āsava) āsava, i. e. ā-su + a, m. A distilled spirit, MBh. 16, 30. — Comp. Madhu-, m. a spirit distilled from the blossoms of the Bassia latifolia. Surā-, n. an inebriating liquor, Man. 11, 95. Smara-, m. saliva. [ ID=1793 ]
- spirituous liquor, rum  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 071 ] 1 आसव (āsava) m. spirituous liquor, rum. [ ID=4793 ]
- 1. Distilling, distillation, or decoction. 2. Rum, spirit distilled from sugar or molasses, or spirituous liquor in general.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > 1. ā-sava, as, m. distilling, distillation; decoction; rum, spirit distilled from sugar or molasses, spirituous liquor in general: (for 2. ā-sava see next col.) —Āsava-dru, us, m., N. of the Palmyra tree, Bo- rassus Flabellifornis; (its juice on fermenting afford- ing a spirituous liquor.) [ ID=9656 ]
- an intoxicating liquor  
  *The Purana Index*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 1-179 ] Āsava — also Pānam; different kinds of; forbidden to Brāhmaṇas, widows and girls. Br. IV. 7. 63. [ ID=1457 ]

### Exciting / Enlivening Effect or Act (3 definitions)
- exciting, enlivening  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 161,1] 2. आ - सव (ā-sava) m. exciting, enlivening, Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā (Title) [ ID=28069 ]
- excitement, impulse  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > 2 आसव (āsava) m. excitement, impulse. [ ID=4794 ]
- Exciting, enlivening  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > [Printed book page 0135-c ] 2. ā-sava, as, m., Ved. exciting, enlivening. [ ID=9660 ]

### Juice / Nectar (3 definitions)
- juice  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > juice, Mahābhārata (Title); Suśruta (Title); Vikramorvaśī (Title); Prabodha-candrodaya (Title); Yājñavalkya (Author) &c. [ ID=28032 ]
- the nectar or juice of a flower  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the nectar or juice of a flower, Śiśupāla-vadha (Title) vi, 7 [ ID=28033 ]
- the nectar of a woman's lips  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the nectar or juice of the lips (of a woman), Śāntiśataka (Title) [ ID=28034 ]

### Distillation / Decoction (2 definitions)
- distilling or distillation  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 160,3] 1. आ - सव (ā-sava) m. distilling, distillation, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=28029 ]
- decoction  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > decoction [ ID=28030 ]

### Lexicographical Cross-reference (2 definitions)
- see under asu  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 0268-c ] आसव (āsava) see under आसु (āsu). [ ID=7142 ]
- See under ā-su.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > आसव (āsava) [Printed book page 0135-b ] आसव (āsava) ā-sava. See under ā-su. [ ID=9636 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; 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.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546
