vāc f. (fr. √ vac) speech, voice, talk, language (also of animals), sound (also of inanimate objects as of the stones used for pressing, of a drum &c.), RV. &c. &c. (vācam-√ ṛ, īr, or iṣ, to raise the voice, utter a sound, cry, call)

a word, saying, phrase, sentence, statement, asseveration, Mn.; MBh. &c. (vācaṃ-√ vad, to speak words; vācaṃ vyā-√ hṛ, to utter words; vācaṃ-√ dā with dat., to address words to; vācā satyaṃ-√ kṛ, to promise verbally in marriage, plight troth)

Speech personified (in various manners or forms, e.g. as Vāc Āmbhṛṇī in RV. x, 125; as the voice of the middle sphere in Naigh. & Nir.; in the Veda she is also represented as created by Prajā-pati and married to him; in other places she is called the mother of the Vedas and wife of Indra; in VP. she is the daughter of Dakṣa and wife of Kaśyapa; but most frequently she is identified with Bhāratī or Sarasvatī, the goddess of speech; vācaḥ sāma and vāco vratam N. of Sāmans, ĀrṣBr.; vācaḥ stomaḥ, a partic. Ekāha, ŚrS.)

vāc f. [vac-kvip dīrgho'saṃprasāraṇaṃ ca Uṇ. 2. 67] 1 A word, sound, an expression (opp. artha); vāgarthāviva saṃpṛktau vāgarthapratipattaye R. 1. 1. 2 Words, talk, language, speech; vāci puṇyāpuṇyahetavaḥ Māl. 4; laukikānāṃ hi sādhūnāmarthaṃ vāganuvartate . ṛṣīṇāṃ punarādyānāṃ vācamarthonudhāvati U. 1. 10; viniścitārthāmiti vācamādade Ki. 1. 3 ‘spoke these words’, ‘spoke as follows’; R. 1. 49; Śi. 2. 13, 23; Ku. 2. 3. 3 A voice, sound; aśarīriṇī vāgudacarat U. 2; manuṣyāvācā R. 2. 33. 4 An assertion, a statement. 5 An assurance, a promise. 6 A phrase, proverb, saying. 7 N. of Sarasvatī, the goddess of speech. Comp. — apahārakaḥ (vāga-pahārakaḥ) a ‘stealer of speech’, a reader of prohibited texts. — arthaḥ (vāgarthaḥ) a word and its meaning; R. 1. 1; see above. — asiḥ cutting speech (cutting like a sword); sphurannasādhorvivṛṇeti vāgasiḥ Ki. 14. 12. — āḍaṃbaraḥ (vāgāḍaṃbaraḥ) verbosity, bombast. — ātman a. (vāgātman) consisting of words; ṛṣe prabuddhosi vāgātmani brahmaṇi U. 2. — īśaḥ (vāgīśaḥ) 1 an orator, an eloquent man. 2 an epithet of Bṛhaspati, the preceptor of the gods. 3 an epithet of Brahman; Ku. 2. 3. 4 the lunar mansion called Puṣya. — (śā) N. of Sarasvatī. — īśvaraḥ (vāgīśvaraḥ) 1 an orator, eloquent man. 2 an epithet of Brahman. — (rī) Sarasvatī, the goddess of speech. — ṛṣabhaḥ ( vāgṛṣabhaḥ) ‘eminent in speech’, an eloquent or learned man. — kalahaḥ ( vākkalahaḥ) a quarrel, strife. — kīraḥ ( vākkīraḥ) a wife's brother. — gudaḥ ( vāggudaḥ) a kind of bird. — guṇaḥ ( vāgguṇaḥ) a merit or excellence of speech; (35 such merits are enumerated by Hemacandra). — guliḥ, — gulikaḥ (vāgguliḥ &c.) the betelbearer of a king &c.; cf. tāṃbūlakarakaṃvāhin. — capala a. (vākcapala) chattering, frivolous or inconsiderate in talk. — cāpalyaṃ (vākcāpalyaṃ) idle or frivolous talk, chattering, gossiping. — chalaṃ (vākchalaṃ) ‘dishonesty in words’, an evasive reply, (pb) a prevarication; etāvadevāsti me vākchalaṃ Mu. 2; kenedamamṛtaṃ me vākchalādvṛṣṭaṃ K. 330. — jālaṃ (vāgjālaṃ) bombast, empty talk; anirloḍitakāryasya vāgjālaṃ vāgmino vṛthā Śi. 2. 27. — ḍaṃbaraḥ (vāgḍaṃbaraḥ) 1 bombast. 2 eloquent language. — daṃḍaḥ (vāgdaṃḍaḥ) 1 reproachful words, reprimand, reproof. 2 restraint of speech, control over words; cf. tridaṃḍa. — datta (vāgdatta) a. promised, affianced, betrothed. — (ttā) an affianced or betrothed virgin. — daridra (vāgdaridra) a. ‘poor in words’, i. e. speaking little. — dalaṃ (vāgdalaṃ) a lip. — dānaṃ (vāgdānaṃ) betrothal. — duṣṭa a. (vāgduṣṭa) 1 abusive, scurrilous, using abusive words. 2 using ungrammatical language. — (ṣṭaḥ) 1 a defamer. 2 a Brāhmaṇa not invested with the sacred thread at the proper time of his life. — devatā, -devī ( vāgdevatā, vāgdevī) Sarasvatī, the goddess of speech; vāgdevatāyāḥ sāṃmukhyamādhatte S. D. 1. ˚kulaṃ science, learning. — doṣaḥ (vāgdoṣaḥ) 1 the utterance of a (disagreeable) sound; dvīpicarmaparicchanno vāgdoṣād gardabho hataḥ H. 3. 2 abuse, defamation. 3 an ungrammatical speech. — nibaṃdhana ( vāgnibaṃdhana) a. depending on words. — niścayaḥ (vāṅniścayaḥ) affiance by word of mouth, marriage contract. — niṣṭhā (vāṅniṣṭhā) faithfulness (to one's word or promise). — paṭu a. (vākpaṭu) skilful in speech, eloquent. — pati a. (vākpati) eloquent; oratorical. — (tiḥ) 1 N. of Bṛhaspati (in this sense vācasāṃpatiḥ is also used). 2 the constellation Puṣya. — pāruṣyaṃ (vākpāruṣyaṃ) 1 severity of language. 2 violence in words, abusive or scurrilous language, defamation. — pracodanaṃ (vākpracodanaṃ) an order expressed in words. — pratodaḥ (vākpratodaḥ) ‘the goad of words’, goading or taunting language. — pralāpaḥ ( vākpralāpaḥ) eloquence. — baṃdhanaṃ (vāgbaṃdhanaṃ) stopping the speech, silencing; Amaru. 13. — manasa n. dual ( vāṅmanasī in Vedic language) speech and mind; athainaṃ tuṣṭuvuḥ stutyamavāṅmanasagocaraṃ R. 10. 15. — mātraṃ (vāḍamātraṃ) mere words. — mukhaṃ (vāṅmukha) the beginning or introduction of a speech, an exordium, a preface. (pb) — yata a. (vāgyata) one who has controlled or curbed his speech, silent. — yamaḥ (vāgyamaḥ) one who has controlled his speech, a sage. — yāmaḥ (vāgyāmaḥ) a dumb man. — yuddhaṃ ( vāgyuddhaṃ) a war of words, (hot) debate or discussion, controversy. — rodhaḥ ( vāgrodhaḥ) stopping the speech, silencing. — vajraḥ (vāgvajraḥ) 1 adamantine words; ahaha dāruṇo vāgvajraḥ U. 1. 2 harsh or severe language. — vidagdha a. (vāgvidagdha) skilled in speech. — (gdhā) a sweetspeaking or fascinating woman. — vibhavaḥ (vāgvibhavaḥ) stock or provision of words, power of description, command of language; nāsti me vāgvibhavaḥ praśaṃsituṃ V. 3; raghūṇāmanvayaṃ vakṣye tanuvāgvibhave'pi san R. 1. 9, Māl. 1. 26. — vilāsaḥ (vāgvilāsaḥ) graceful or elegant speech. — vyavahāraḥ ( vāgvyavahāraḥ) verbal or oral discussion; prayogapradhānaṃ hi nāṭyaśāstraṃ kimatra vāgvyavahāreṇa M. 1. — vyayaḥ (vāgvyayaḥ) waste of words or breath. — vyāpāraḥ ( vāgvyāpāraḥ) 1 the manner of speaking. 2 the style or habit of speaking. 3 customary phraseology or mode of talking. — saṃyamaḥ (vāksaṃyamaḥ) restraint or control of speech.

vāc f. (-vāk,) 1 Speech. 2 Speaking. 3 SARASVATĪ, the goddess of speech. 4 A phrase, a proverb or adage. E. vaca to speak, aff. kvip, and the vowel made long.