As a deity name
Name 312 of the Narasimha Sahasranāma — Brahmanda Purana / Narasimha Purana, as taught by Sages to Assembly of Devotees
Name 918 of the Shiva Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Sage Tandi to Sage Upamanyu
As a Hindi name
लिंग · masculine
mark, sign; gender; penis
a Hindi word, derived from the Sanskrit लिङ्ग — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Inherited from Prakrit 𑀮𑀺𑀁𑀕 (liṃga), from Sanskrit लिङ्ग (liṅga).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
liṅga n. (once m. in NṛsUp.; ifc. f(ā). , f(ī). only in viṣṇu-liṅgī; prob. fr. √ lag; cf. lakṣa, lakṣaṇa) a mark, spot, sign, token, badge, emblem, characteristic (ifc. = tal-liṅga, ‘having anything for a mark or sign’), Up.; MBh. &c.
any assumed or false badge or mark, guise, disguise, MBh.; Kāv. &c.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
a mark, spot, sign, token, badge, emblem, characteristic (ifc. = tal-liṅga, ‘having anything for a mark or sign’), &c.
Scripturally attested Verified split — attested membersMultiple readings (6)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "liṅgāya" is the dative of "liṅga" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
Dictionary citations
liṅga n. (once m. in NṛsUp.; ifc. f(ā). , f(ī). only in viṣṇu-liṅgī; prob. fr. √ lag; cf. lakṣa, lakṣaṇa) a mark, spot, sign, token, badge, emblem, characteristic (ifc. = tal-liṅga, ‘having anything for a mark or sign’), Up.; MBh. &c.
any assumed or false badge or mark, guise, disguise, MBh.; Kāv. &c.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
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