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a·ma·la·ka

(ämə-lə-kə)

A vertically grooved, disklike structure crowning the main tower of a Hindu temple in northern Indian temple design.

[Sanskrit āmalakaḥ, fruit of the Indian gooseberry (the structure being so called from its resemblance to the fruit); akin to amalā, Indian gooseberry tree, of unknown origin.]

(click for a larger image)

amalaka

an amalaka atop a shikhara

Temple of Harihara III

Osian, India

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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