A Khotanese loanword in the Tocharian A Maitreyasamiti-Nāṭaka : Tocharian A ṣtākkrukke * “slanderer”, Old Khotanese ṣṭakulā- “abuse”

Tocharian A ṣtākkrukke * occurs in the Maitreyasamiti-Nāṭaka , an extensive drama on the future Buddha Maitreya written in Tocharian A. Based on the Old Uyghur translation of the text, a preliminary translation of “slanderer” has been proposed, but nothing else is known about the history of the word. In this article, I argue that it was borrowed from an earlier form of Old Khotanese ṣṭakulcā- , a derivative of Old Khotanese ṣṭakulā- “abuse”. In its turn, Old Khotanese ṣṭakulā- “abuse” may have been borrowed from an unattested Gāndhārī source. By examining Old Uyghur, Old Khotanese, Late Khotanese and Buddhist Sanskrit sources, I uncover the complex web of relationships that surrounds Tocharian A ṣtākkrukke * and its spread across the Tarim Basin.