# उषा (uṣā)

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

उषा (uṣā) is a Sanskrit word meaning early morning, dawn, daybreak, bdellium, saline earth, fossil salt, morning light, dawn, or morning, night. Its 33 recorded definitions are grouped into 13 contexts, among them Dawn / Early Morning, Night, Saline Earth / Salt.

- **SLP1:** `uzA`  **IAST:** uṣā  **Devanagari:** उषा
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usha_%28princess%29
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/usha/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** ऊषा (ūṣā), ऊष (ūṣa), उष (uṣa)

## Meanings by context

### Dawn / Early Morning (11 definitions)
- early morning, dawn, daybreak  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 220,1] 1. उष (uṣa) m. (for 2. See s.v. ) early morning, dawn, daybreak, L. [ ID=37691 ]
- morning light, dawn, or morning  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 220,1] उषा (uṣā) b f. morning light, dawn, morning, RV.; Atharva-veda (Title) xii, 2, 45; VS. &c. [ ID=37730 ]
- at daybreak  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > उषा (uṣā) ( आ (ā) ), ind. at daybreak, L. [ ID=37735 ]
- Early morning, dawn  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 1 Early morning, dawn
- Morning light.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 2 Morning light
- Early in the morning  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 1 Early in the morning
- dawn, break of day  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 055-3 ] उषा (uṣā) uṣ-ā́, f. dawn, break of day. [ ID=4950 ]
- 1. Early morning, morning light, or twilight. 2. Saline earth. 3. The daughter of the demon Bana. 4. A cooking pan or pot.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 148-09 ] उषा (uṣā) (I) f. 1. Early morning; 2. morning light; 3. twilight; 4. saline earth; 5. name of a daughter of the demon Bāṇa. (See App. II.); 6. a cooking pan or pot. Cf. उखा (ukhā). [ ID=7134 ]
- Early in the morning  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) (II) ind. Early in the morning. [ ID=7135 ]
- dawn, morning  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 094 ] उषा (uṣā) f. dawn, morning. [ ID=6067 ]
- 1. Morning light, dawn, or morning. 2. Twilight. 3. Night. 4. A cow. 5. The name of a wife of Bhava. 6. The name of a daughter of Bana and wife of Aniruddha.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > [Printed book page 0176-b ] 2. uṣā, f. morning light, dawn, morning; twilight, night; a cow; N. of a wife of Bhava (who was a manifestation of Rudra); of a daughter of Bāṇa and wife of Aniruddha; ( ā ), ind. at day-break; at night; at twilight (?). —Uṣā-kāla, as, m. a cock. —Uṣā- pati, is, m. an epithet of Aniruddha, the son of Kāmadeva and husband of Uṣā. —Uṣā-ramaṇa, as, m. an epithet of Aniruddha. —Uṣeśa (uṣā-īśa), as, m. the same. [ ID=12454 ]

### Night (4 definitions)
- night  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > night, VP.; Car. [ ID=37731 ]
- at night  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > at night, L. [ ID=37736 ]
- Night  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 6 Night
- At night  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 2 At night

### Saline Earth / Salt (3 definitions)
- saline earth  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > saline earth, L. [ ID=37693 ]
- fossil salt  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > उष (uṣa) n. fossile salt, L. ( cf. ऊष (ūṣa).) [ ID=37695 ]
- Saline earth  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 4 Saline earth

### Uṣā, daughter of Bāṇa (3 definitions)
- The daughter of Bana and wife of Aniruddha  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a daughter of Bāṇa and wife of A-niruddha, AgP. [ ID=37733 ]
- the daughter of the demon Bana and wife of Aniruddha  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 9 N. of a daughter of the demon Bāṇa and wife of Aniruddha. [She beheld Aniruddha in a dream and became passionately enamoursd of him. She sought the assistance of her friend Citralekhā, who advised her to have with her the portraits of all young princes living round about her. When this was done, she recognized ( pb ) Aniruddha and had him carried to her city, where she was married to him; see अनिरुद्ध (aniruddha) also]. — ind
- The daughter of Bana and granddaughter of Bali who married Aniruddha.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 1-250 ] Uṣā — the daughter of Bāṇa and granddaughter of Bali got enamoured of Aniruddha whom she saw in a picture and requested her maid to arrange for her marriage with him; she saw Umā dallying with Śiva and asked of her marriage which Umā said will be to him whom she would see in a dream. So she saw Aniruddha in a dream on a Vaiśākha Śukla dvādaśī; by the aid of Citralekhā, he was taken to her chamber in secret. Also Ūṣā (s.v.). Vi. V. 32. 7-30. [ ID=1982 ]

### A Cow (2 definitions)
- a cow  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a cow, L. [ ID=37732 ]
- A cow  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 5 A cow

### Aniruddha's epithets (re: Uṣā) (2 definitions)
- lord, master, husband  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — पतिः (patiḥ)
- Aniruddha, husband of Usha  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — रमणः, - ईशः (ramaṇaḥ, -īśaḥ) N. of Aniruddha, husband of Uṣā. [ ID=9326 ]

### Burning / Scorching (2 definitions)
- burning  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > burning, scorching, Suśr. [ ID=37734 ]
- burning, scorching  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0176-a ] 1. uṣā, f. burning, scorching. (For 2. see next col.) [ ID=12435 ]

### A Cock (via Uṣākāla) (1 definition)
- a cock  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — कालः (kālaḥ) a cock

### A Cooking Vessel (1 definition)
- A boiler or cooking vessel  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 7 A boiler, cooking vessel ( स्थाली (sthālī) ); cf. उखा (ukhā)

### Bdellium (resin) (1 definition)
- bdellium  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > bdellium [ ID=37692 ]

### Lexicographical Note (Uṣā f.) (1 definition)
- See below  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 220,1] उषा (uṣā) a f. See below [ ID=37694 ]

### Other Mythological Uṣās (1 definition)
- the wife of Bhava  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 8 N. of a wife of Bhava (who was a manifestation of Rudra)

### Twilight (1 definition)
- Twilight  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उषा (uṣā) [Printed book page 0344-a ] उषा (uṣā) [ ओषत्यंधकारं उष् - क (oṣatyaṃdhakāraṃ uṣ-ka) ] 3 Twilight

## Sources

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

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