घ्रा

Of uncertain origin.

Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʰʷreh₂, whence Ancient Greek ὀσφραινομαι (osphrainomai, “I smell, perceive”) (compare Greek όσφρηση (ósfrisi, “(sense of) smell”); however, this is controversial.

Alternatively, Seebold compares the root to Old English brǣþ (“smell; steam”), whence English breath.

Another theory compares the root to Latin frōns (“brow, front”); noses are frontal organs responsible for smelling and breathing.

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡʱɾɑː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ɡʱɾɑː/

घ्रा • (ghrā)

1. to smell, perceive odor
2. to perceive
3. to snuffle at
4. to kill

• Monier Williams (1899) “घ्रा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 379/3.
• William Dwight Whitney, 1885, The Roots, Verb-forms, and Primary Derivatives of the Sanskrit Language, Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, page 043
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “घ्रा”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press
• Otto Böhtlingk, Richard Schmidt (1879-1928) “घ्रा”, in Walter Slaje, Jürgen Hanneder, Paul Molitor, Jörg Ritter, editors, Nachtragswörterbuch des Sanskrit [Dictionary of Sanskrit with supplements] (in German), Halle-Wittenberg: Martin-Luther-Universität, published 2016
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 520
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 364; 433