As a deity name
Name 151 of the Lakshmi Sahasranāma — Skanda Purana / Sanat Kumara Samhita, as taught by Sages Sanatkumara and Devotees
Name 308 of the Saraswati Sahasranāma — Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Brahma / Sages
As a Hindi name
मेनका · noun · feminine
स्वर्ग की एक अप्सरा · उमा या पार्वती की माता जो हिमवान् की पत्नी थी — Śabdasāgara
मेनका · menakā · s.f.
Name of an Apsaras (wife of Hima-vat, and mother of Pārvatī — Platts (1884), digital edition courtesy DSAL, University of Chicago, p. 1108
मेनका · feminine
Menaka, an apsara known for seducing rishi Vishwamitra; a female given name, Menaka, from Sanskrit
a Hindi word, a tatsama: the Sanskrit word borrowed unchanged into Hindi मेनका — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Borrowed from Sanskrit मेनका (menakā).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
menakā f. N. of the daughter of Vṛṣaṇ-aśva, ṢaḍvBr.
of an Apsaras (wife of Hima-vat), MBh.; Kāv. &c.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
One of the courtezans of Svarga, and wife to Himālaya. E. me to me, kā any one, na not, (equal or comparable.)
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (2)Why this matches what you typed
The spelling you confirmed, मेनका, is itself a dictionary headword — no grammatical transformation stands between what you typed and the meaning above.
Dictionary citations
menakā f. N. of the daughter of Vṛṣaṇ-aśva, ṢaḍvBr.
of an Apsaras (wife of Hima-vat), MBh.; Kāv. &c.
menakā 1 N. of an Apsaras (mother of Śakuntalā). 2 N. of the wife of Himālaya. Comp. — ātmajā N. of Pārvatī.
menakā f. (-kā) One of the courtezans of Svarga, and wife to Himālaya. E. me to me, kā any one, na not, (equal or comparable.)
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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