Editing Apsara (section)

==Etymology==
[[File: Celestial fairies Apsaras on Hindu Temple at Banares 1913.jpg|thumb|Apsaras on Hindu Temple at [[Varanasi|Banares]], 1913]]
The origin of 'apsara' is the [[Sanskrit]] अप्सरस्, ''apsaras'' (in the stem form, which is the dictionary form). Note that the stem-form ends in 's' as distinct from, e.g. the nominative singular ''Rāmas / Rāmaḥ'' (the deity Ram in Hindi), whose stem form is ''Rāma''. The nominative singular form is अप्सरास् ''apsarās'', or अप्सरा: ''apsarāḥ'' when standing alone, which becomes अप्सरा ''apsarā'' in Hindi, from which in turn the English "apsara" presumably is derived. The [[Monier Monier-Williams|Monier-Williams]] ''et al''. (1899) gives the etymology as अप् + √सृ, "going in the waters or between the waters of the clouds".<ref>{{cite dictionary |last1=Monier-Williams |first1=Monier, Sir |author1-link=Monier Monier-Williams |last2=Leumann |first2=Ernst |last3=Cappeller |first3=Carl |year=1899 |title=apsara |dictionary=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House |page=59 |isbn=978-81-208-3105-6 |lang=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUezTfym7CAC&q=apsara }}</ref>

Apsaras are widely known as ''Apsara'' ({{lang|km|អប្សរា}} {{Transliteration|km|Âbsâréa}}) in [[Khmer language|Khmer]], and also called ''Accharā'' in [[Pāli]], or ''Bidadari'' ([[Malay language|Malay]], [[Maranao language|Maranao]]), ''Biraddali''  ([[Tausūg language|Tausug]], [[Sinama language|Sinama]]), ''Hapsari / Apsari'' or ''Widadari / Widyadari'' ([[Javanese language|Javanese]], [[Sundanese language|Sundanese]], and [[Balinese language|Balinese]]), ''Helloi'' ([[Meitei language|Meitei]]).