Ira

What does Ira mean?

Ira has a Sanskrit association with ‘earth’, recorded by Monier-Williams among later dictionary senses of irā. Its earlier Vedic meanings center on nourishment and refreshment, especially a nourishing drink. The earth meaning is therefore documented, but is not the word's primary Vedic definition. The same source also records speech and an association with Sarasvati. These different strands help explain the range of meanings attached to the name without reducing them to one origin story.

Source: Wiktionary, इरा. How we use sources.

Spelling and pronunciation

इरा is read i-raa, in two syllables with a short first vowel and a long ending. The r may be lightly tapped. This differs from eye-ra, a reading associated with the unrelated Hebrew name. Eera also appears, but suggests a longer opening vowel than the Sanskrit spelling shown here.

Also spelled Eera.

Ira in tradition and story

In Puranic accounts cited by Monier-Williams, Ira is a daughter of Daksha, wife of Kashyapa and mother of trees, creepers and grasses. Her identification with Sarasvati in lexicons is a separate association involving speech.