# धातु (dhātu)

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

धातु (dhātu) is a Sanskrit word meaning layer, stratum, constituent part or ingredient, an elemental substance or primitive matter, an essential ingredient or constituent element of the body, one of the three bodily humors: phlegm, wind, and bile, one of the five organs of sense. Its 22 recorded definitions are grouped into 10 contexts, among them Layer, Stratum, or Constituent Part, Adjective: To Be Sucked or Drunk, Bodily Humors (Doṣas).

- **Roots:** धे (dhe), 1. धा (1. dhā)
- **Etymology:** E. धा to possess, to contain, (life, substance, &c.) तुन् aff — E. dhā to possess, to contain, (life, substance, &c.) tun aff
- **SLP1:** `DAtu`  **IAST:** dhātu  **Devanagari:** धातु
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dh%C4%81tu_%28Ayurveda%29
- **Declensions:** 72 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/dhatu/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Layer, Stratum, or Constituent Part (6 definitions)
- layer, stratum  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 513,3] 1. धातु (dhātu) m. layer, stratum, Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra (Title); Kauśika-sūtra (Title) [ ID=100617 ]
- constituent part or ingredient  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > constituent part, ingredient ( esp. [and in Ṛg-veda (Title) only] ifc., where often = ‘fold’ e.g. त्रि - धातु (tri-dhātu), threefold &c. cf. त्रिविष्टि - (triviṣṭi-), सप्त - (sapta-), सु - (su-) ), Ṛg-veda (Title); Taittirīya-saṃhitā (Title); Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title) &c. [ ID=100618 ]
- 1. A layer or component part. 2. An element of the universe. 3. An elementary constituent of the body. 4. A mineral, ore, metal, or red chalk. 5. A verbal root.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 132-1 ] धातु (dhātu) 1. dhā-tu, m. layer; component part ( —° a. ); element ( five are assumed: ether, air, fire, earth, water ); elementary constituent of the body ( seven are assumed: alimentary juice, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow, semen; or five: ear, nose, mouth, heart, abdomen; or three = doṣa: wind, gall, phlegm ); elementary constituent of the earth or of mountains: ore, mineral, metal, esp. red chalk; verbal element, verbal root or base. [ ID=9972 ]
- 1. Layer, part, or ingredient. 2. An element, mineral, metal, or ore. 3. A verbal root.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 251 ] 1 † धातु (dhātu) (†dhātu) m. layer, part of a whole, ingredient. Page252 esp. element or elementary matter (ph.), mineral, metal, ore; a verbal root (as the primary elements of the earth and the language). [ ID=15315 ]
- layer as part of a composite whole  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 176-b ] dhātu, m. layer, as part of a composite whole. [ √1dhā, ‘put, lay.’] [ ID=2153 ]
- 1. A deposit or layer. 2. An essential part, ingredient, or portion. 3. A primary element or primitive substance. 4. An essential fluid, secretion, or humor of the body. 5. A bone. 6. A mineral, fossil, metal, or ore. 7. A verbal root.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 0452-c ] 1. dhātu, us, m. (for 2. dhātu see p. 453, col. 3), that which is placed or laid, a deposit, layer (Ved.); a constituent or essential part, an ingredient, (thus guṇa, string, is the dhātu of a rope made of several strings); part, portion, (sometimes used at the end of an adj. comp. like the English ‘fold,’ see tri-dhātu, sapta-dh° ); an element, primary or elementary substance, primitive matter (of which five are usually reckoned or with Brahma six, thus enumerated by Yājñavalkya III. 145: 1. Brahma, the eternal spirit; 2. kha or ākāśa, ether; 3. anila, air; 4. tejas, fire; 5. jala, water; 6. bhū, earth: the Buddhists substitute Vijñāna for Brahma: the eighteen ele- ments or dhātu-lokas of the southern Buddhists are the five organs of sense with manas, the six qualities observed by these, and six ideas produced by these six qualities); constituent element or essential ingre- dient of the body, primary or essential fluid or juice, a secretion, (the number of which is variously given as seven or ten; these Dhātus are distinct from the five elements of which the body also consists, and are sometimes regarded as Rasas, i. e. secretions or fluids; they are chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow, and semen, to which must be added hair, skin, and sinews, if ten are reckoned); a humor or affection of the body (viz. phlegm, wind, and bile); a bone; (according to some) any one of the five organs of sense; any one of the five properties or qualities of the elements observed by the organs of sense (viz. sound, tangibility, colour, flavour, smell, see under guṇa ); a primary element of the earth or of moun- tains, a mineral, fossil, metal, ore; a fluid mineral of a red colour; the primary element of words, a verbal root; [cf. upa-dh°, kāma-dh°, giri-dh°, &c.] —Dhātu-kāya, as, m. ‘body of elements,’ N. of a Buddhist work by Pūrṇa. —Dhātu-kāśīśa or dhātu-kāsīsa, am, n. red sulphate of iron. —Dhātu- kuśala, as, ā, am, skilled in metals, a metallurgist, mineralogist. —Dhātu-kriyā, f. metallurgy, minera- logy. —Dhātu-kṣaya, as, m. waste of the bodily humors, any mortal disease. —Dhātukṣaya-kāsa, as, m. a consumptive cough. —Dhātu-garbha, as, m. a receptacle for Buddhist relics, a dagop, (according to some da-gop = dhātu-gopa. ) —Dhātu-grāhin, ī, m. calamine. —Dhātu-ghoṣā, f., N. of a work on the verbal roots. —Dhātu-ghna, am, n. sour gruel prepared from the fermentation of rice-water. —Dhātu-candrikā, f. ‘elucidation of roots,’ N. of a grammatical work by Kavi-candra. —Dhātu-ja = dhātuka, bitumen. —Dhātu-dīpikā, f. ‘elucidation of roots,’ N. of a commentary by Durgā-dāsa on Vopa-deva's collection of roots. —Dhātu-drāvaka, ‘dissolving metals,’ borax, tinkal. —Dhātu-nāśana, am, n. ‘destroying the humors,’ sour gruel; [cf. dhātu-ghna. ] —Dhātu-nyāya-mañjāṣā, f., N. of Page0453-a+ 81 a work on the radicals. —Dhātu-pa, as, m. the alimentary juice or chyle, the chief of the seven elementary ingredients of the body. —Dhātu-pā- ṭha, as, m. ‘recital of roots,’ a list or collection of roots compiled and arranged according to Pāṇini's system, (the most important and well-known Dhātu- pāṭha is ascribed to Pāṇini himself.) —Dhātu-pārā- yaṇa or dhātu-pārāyaṇīya, am, n., N. of a work on verbal roots. —Dhātu-puṣṭi, is, f. nutrition of the bodily humors. —Dhātu-puṣpī and dhātu-pu- ṣpikā, f. a plant, = dhātṛ-puṣpī. —Dhātu-pra- dīpa, as, m., N. of a commentary by Maitreya- rakṣita on the Dhātu-pāṭha. —Dhātupradīpa-dī- pikā or dhātupradīpa-ṭīkā, f., N. of a commentary on the preceding work. —Dhātu-bhṛt, t, m. ‘bear- ing metals,’ a mountain; ( t, t, t ), promoting the elementary juices or secretions, robust. —Dhātu- mañjarī, f., N. of a commentary by Kāśī-nātha on the Dhātu-pāṭha. —Dhātu-mat, ān, atī, at, con- taining or possessing elements or elementary sub- stances, abounding in minerals or metals. —Dhātu- mat-tā, f. richness in metals &c. —Dhātu-maya, as, ī, am, consisting of or abounding in metals, metallic. —Dhātu-mala, am, n. impure excretion from the essential fluids of the body; lead (the most impure of metals). —Dhātu-mākṣika, am, n. a mineral substance, sulphuret of iron. —Dhātu-mārin, ī, m. ‘dissolving metals,’ sulphur; ( iṇī ), f. borax. —Dhātu-ratna-mālā, f., N. of a medical work by Deva-datta. —Dhātu-ratnāvalī, f. ‘a necklace or string of roots,’ N. of a metrical collection of roots by Rādhā-kṛṣṇa. —Dhātu-rājaka, am, n. ‘the chief of the essential fluids of the body,’ semen, the seminal fluid. —Dhātu-lakṣaṇa, am, n., N. of a work. —Dhātu-vallabha, am, n. ‘friend of metals,’ borax (used as a flux). —Dhātu-vāda, as, m. metal- lurgy, mineralogy. —Dhātuvādin, ī, m. an assayer, miner, mineralogist, metallurgist. —Dhātu-vikāra, as, m. = dhātu-kṣaya. —Dhātu-viṣ, ṭ, f. = dhātu- mala, lead. —Dhātu-vṛtti, is, f. a commentary on the roots. —Dhātu-vairin, ī, m. ‘enemy of metals,’ sulphur. —Dhātu-śekhara, am, n. ‘chief of mine- rals,’ green sulphate of iron or green vitriol. —Dhātu- śodhana or dhātu-sambhava, lead. —Dhātu-sā- mya, am, n. equilibrium of the bodily humors, good health. —Dhātu-han, ‘killing metals,’ sulphur. —Dhātūpala (°tu-up°), as, m. ‘the stone among metals,’ chalk. —Dhātv-artha, as, m. ‘having the sense of a root,’ i. e. a verb. [ ID=23279 ]

### Adjective: To Be Sucked or Drunk (4 definitions)
- to be sucked in or drunk  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 514,3] 2. धातु (dhātu) mfn. (√ धे (dhe) ) to be sucked in or drunk ( हविस् (havis) ), Ṛg-veda (Title) v, 44, 3 [ ID=100897 ]
- suitable for sucking  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धातु (dhātu) 2. dhā́-tu, a. suitable for sucking. [ ID=9973 ]
- 1. Fit to be sucked or sipped. 2. A milch cow.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > [Printed book page 252 ] 2 धातु (dhātu) a. fit to be sucked or sipped; f. a milch cow. [ ID=15316 ]
- 1. Anything to be drunk or sucked, such as milk. 2. A milch cow.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > [Printed book page 0453-c ] धातु (dhātu) 2. dhātu, us, us, u (fr. rt. dhe; for 1. dhātu see p. 452, col. 3), Ved. to be drunk or sucked in?; (Sāy.) sustainer, supporter, (fr. rt. 1. dhā ); ( us ), m. anything to be drunk or sucked, milk, &c. ( us ), f. a milch cow. [ ID=23302 ]

### Bodily Humors (Doṣas) (3 definitions)
- 1. A bodily humor such as phlegm, wind, or bile. 2. Any bodily constituent part like blood or flesh. 3. A primary element such as earth, water, fire, air, or atmosphere. 4. The property of a primary element. 5. A sense organ. 6. A mineral or fossil. 7. A metal. 8. A grammatical root.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धा (dhā) तु (dhātu) [Printed book page 442 ] धा (dhā) तु (dhātu) m. ( - तुः (-tuḥ) ) 1 A principle or humour of the body, as phlegm, wind, and bile. 2 Any constituent part of the body, as blood, flesh, &c. 3 A primary or elementary substance, viz. earth, water, fire, air, and Ākāśa or atmosphere. 4 The property of a primary element, odour, flavour, colour, touch, and sound. 5 An organ of sense. 6 A mineral, a fossil. 7 A metal. 8 A grammatical root; in Sanskrit this radical performs no other office, and cannot be used as a word without undergoing some change. E. धा (dhā) to possess, to contain, (life, substance, &c.) तुन् (tun) aff. [ ID=20527 ]
- 1. A body humor. 2. An element. 3. A mineral. 4. A metal. 5. A verbal root.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 394-a ] धातु (dhātu) ( तुः ) ((tuḥ)) 2. m. A humour of the body; an element; a mineral; a metal; root of a word. [ ID=20018 ]
- 1. A bodily principle or humour such as phlegm, wind, and bile. 2. A constituent part of the body such as blood and flesh. 3. A primary element including earth, water, fire, air, and ether. 4. The property of a primary element such as odor, flavor, color, touch, and sound. 5. A sense organ. 6. A mineral or fossil. 7. A metal. 8. A grammatical root.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धा (dhā) तु (dhātu) [Printed book page 368-a ] धा (dhā) तु (dhātu) m. ( - तुः (-tuḥ) ) 1. A principle or humour of the body, as phlegm, wind, and bile. 2. Any constituent part of the body, as blood, flesh, &c. 3. A primary or elementary substance, viz. earth, water, fire, air and Ākāsa or atmosphere. 4. The property of a primary element viz. ordour, flavour, colour, touch, and sound. 5. An organ of sense. 6. A mineral, a fossil. 7. A metal. 8. A grammatical root; in Sanskrit this radical performs no other office, and cannot be used as a word without undergoing some change. E. धा (dhā) to possess, to contain, (life, substance, &c.) तुन् (tun) aff. [ ID=20513 ]

### Fundamental Cosmic Elements (3 definitions)
- an elemental substance or primitive matter  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > element, primitive matter (= महा - भू (bhū) त (mahā-bhūta), Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) ), Mahābhārata (Title); Harivaṃśa (Title) &c. (usually reckoned as 5, viz. ख (kha) or आकाश (ākāśa), अनिल (anila), तेजस् (tejas), जल (jala), भू (bhū); to which is added ब्रह्म (brahma), Yājñavalkya (Author) iii, 145; or विज्ञान (vijñāna), Buddhist literature (Literary category) ) [ ID=100619 ]
- 1. An element or primary substance. 2. A property of an element. 3. A primary bodily fluid or secretion. 4. A bodily humour. 5. A mineral or metal. 6. A verbal root. 7. A bone. 8. The soul. 9. The supreme spirit. 10. A sense organ.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 358-04 ] धातु (dhātu) m. 1. An element, a primary substance; (they are पृथिवी (pṛthivī), अप् (ap), तेज (teja), वायु (vāyu) and आकाश (ākāśa) ); 2. any one of the properties of the five elements; (they are शब्द (śabda), स्पर्श (sparśa), रूप (rūpa), रस (rasa) and गंध (gaṃdha) ); 3. a secretion, a primary fluid of the body (which are considered to be seven, viz., रस (rasa), असृज् (asṛj), मांस (māṃsa), मेदस् (medas), अस्थि (asthi), मज्जा (majjā) and शुक्र (śukra); 4. a humour of the body; (they are कफ (kapha), वात (vāta) and पित्त (pitta) ); 5. a mineral, a metal, त्वामालिख्य प्रणयकुपितां धातु (dhātu) रागैः शिलायाम् (tvāmālikhya praṇayakupitāṃ dhāturāgaiḥ śilāyām) Megh. ii.42, K.S. i.7, vi.51, R. iv.71, M. vi.71; 6. a verbal root, भूवादयो धातवः (bhūvādayo dhātavaḥ) Pan. i.3, अवेक्ष्य धातोर्गमनार्थमर्थविद् (avekṣya dhātorgamanārthamarthavid) R. iii.21; 7. a bone; 8. the soul; 9. the supreme spirit; 10. an organ of sense. [ ID=18346 ]
- 1. An elementary substance. 2. A constituent part of the body. 3. An organ of sense. 4. A metal. 5. A grammatical root.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 0438-a ] धातु (dhātu) dhā + tu, m. 1. A primary or elementary substance, MBh. 12, 6821. 2. Any constituent part of the body (usually said to be three), MBh. 1, 3633. 3. An organ of sense, MBh. 12, 6842. 4. m. and n. A metal, Man. 6, 71. 5. A grammatical root, MBh. 3, 17110. — Comp. Giri-, m. the constituent parts of a mountain, as minerals, etc., Rām. 2, 63, 18. Gairika-, m. = gai- rika, q. v. Rām. 5, 5, 26. Tri-, adj. three- fold, Chr. 292, 12 = Rigv. i. 85, 12. Mahā-, m. gold. Rakta-, m. 1. red chalk. 2. copper. Śilā-, m. 1. chalk. 2. red chalk. Saumya-, m. phlegm. [ ID=6983 ]

### Bodily Constituents (General and Varied Types) (1 definition)
- 1. An essential ingredient or constituent element of the body. 2. One of the three bodily humors: phlegm, wind, and bile. 3. One of the five organs of sense. 4. One of the five properties of the elements perceived by the senses. 5. One of the seven bodily fluids or secretions: chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow, and semen.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a constituent element or essential ingredient of the body (distinct from the 5 mentioned above and conceived either as 3 humours [called also दोष (doṣa) ] phlegm, wind and bile, Bhāgavata-purāṇa (Title) [ cf. पुरीष (purīṣa), मांस (māṃsa), मनस् (manas), Chāndogya-upaniṣad (Title) vi, 5, 1 ]; or as the 5 organs of sense, इन्द्रियाणि (indriyāṇi) [ cf. s.v. and Mahābhārata (Title) xii, 6842, where श्रोत्र (śrotra), घ्राण (ghrāṇa), आस्य (āsya), हृदय (hṛdaya) and कोष्ठ (koṣṭha) are mentioned as the 5 dh° of the human body born from the either] and the 5 properties of the elements perceived by them, गन्ध (gandha), रस (rasa), रूप (rūpa), स्पर्श (sparśa) and शब्द (śabda), Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author); or the 7 fluids or secretions, chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow, semen, Suśruta (Title) [ Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) रस (rasa) ा (rasā) दि (di) or रस (rasa)- रक्ता (rasa-raktā) दि (di), of which sometimes 10 are given, the above 7 and hair, skin, sinews, Bhāgavata-purāṇa (Title) ]) [ ID=100620 ]

### Cause or Origin (1 definition)
- a cause  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 1329,2] a cause, Sukhāvatī-vyūha (Title) i. [ ID=100621.1 ]

### Mineral, Metal, Ore, or Fossil (1 definition)
- 1. Metal, mineral, or ore, especially of a red color. 2. A grammatical or verbal root or stem. 3. An elemental constituent of the body or world. 4. Bodily ashes or relics.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > primary element of the earth i.e. metal, mineral, ore ( esp. a mineral of a red colour), Manu-smṛti (Title); Mahābhārata (Title) &c. element of words i.e. grammatical or verbal root or stem, Nirukta, by Yāska (Title); Prātiśākhya (Literary category); Mahābhārata (Title) &c. (with the southern Buddhists धातु (dhātu) means either the 6 elements [see above] Dharmasaṃgraha (Title) xxv; or the 18 elementary spheres [ धातु (dhātu)- लोक (dhātu-loka) ] in the same place [Cologne Addition] (Title) lviii; or the ashes of the body, relics, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ cf. - गर्भ (-garbha) ]). [ ID=100621 ]

### Noun: Milch Cow or Drinkable Substance (1 definition)
- a milch cow  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > धातु (dhātu) f. = धेनु (dhenu), milch cow, Lāṭyāyana (Author) vii, 5, 9. [ ID=100897.1 ]

### Proper Name: A Marut Deity (1 definition)
- a Marut of the third Gana  
  *The Purana Index*
  > धातु (dhātu) [Printed book page 2-168 ] Dhātu — a Marut of the III Gaṇa. Br. III. 5. 94. [ ID=6602 ]

### Proper Name: A Specific Sāman (Vedic Chant) (1 definition)
- name of a Saman  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 514,3] 3. धातु (dhātu) n. (with रौहिण (rauhiṇa) ) N. of a Sāman, Ārṣeya-brāhmaṇa (Title) [ ID=100906 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; 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