Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s8.127

v2.c4.s8.127

1. Śapha, ‘hoof,’ comes to be used to denote the fraction ‘one-eighth,’ because of the divided hoofs of the cow, just as Pāda, the ‘foot’ of a quadruped, also means a ‘quarter.’ This sense in found as early as the Rigveda,¹ and is not rare later.²