गर्दभ

Etymology
Of unclear origin.

Perhaps a derivation from the possibly onomatopoeic root, with a suffix formed by analogy to the one in.

An alternative theory considers the word as a borrowing, formed as  + an Indo-European animal suffix  as seen in  above; compare 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬. However, the formal mismatch between the Dravidian and Sanskrit forms, the Sanskrit word's Vedic status, the gratuitous attachment of a bound suffix of supposed Indo-European origin to a loaned word, and the fact that donkeys were well-known to steppe tribes (including the Indo-Iranians), casts doubt on this derivation.

Possibly related to 🇨🇬, perhaps via a borrowing from Sanskrit to Tocharian, though further details are uncertain.

Noun

 * 1) ass, donkey