जिघांसा

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit जिघांसा (jighāṃsā).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪ.ɡʱɑːn.sɑː/, [d͡ʒɪ.ɡʱä̃ːn.säː]

Noun

जिघांसा • (jighānsā) f

1. desire to kill or destroy

   Synonym: मारने की इच्छा (mārne kī icchā)

2. revenge

   Synonyms: बदला (badlā), प्रतिहिंसा (pratihinsā), प्रतिशोध (pratiśodh), प्रतिवैर (prativair)

Declension

Declension of जिघांसा (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	जिघांसा jighānsā	जिघांसाएँ jighānsāẽ
oblique	जिघांसा jighānsā	जिघांसाओं jighānsāõ
vocative	जिघांसा jighānsā	जिघांसाओ jighānsāo

Further reading

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “जिघांसा”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• জিঘাংসা (Assamese script)
• ᬚᬶᬖᬵᬂᬲᬵ (Balinese script)
• জিঘাংসা (Bengali script)
• 𑰕𑰰𑰑𑰯𑰽𑰭𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀚𑀺𑀖𑀸𑀁𑀲𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဇိဃာံသာ (Burmese script)
• જિઘાંસા (Gujarati script)
• ਜਿਘਾਂਸਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌜𑌿𑌘𑌾𑌂𑌸𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦗꦶꦓꦴꦁꦱꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂔𑂱𑂐𑂰𑂁𑂮𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಜಿಘಾಂಸಾ (Kannada script)
• ជិឃាំសា (Khmer script)
• ຊິຆາໍສາ (Lao script)
• ജിഘാംസാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡯᡳᢀ᠋ᢚᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠰ᠌ᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘕𑘱𑘑𑘰𑘽𑘭𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠽᠢᢀ᠋ᠺᠾᠠᢗᠰᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦵𑧒𑦱𑧑𑧞𑧍𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐖𑐶𑐑𑐵𑑄𑐳𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଜିଘାଂସା (Odia script)
• ꢙꢶꢕꢵꢀꢱꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆘𑆴𑆔𑆳𑆁𑆱𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖕𑖰𑖑𑖯𑖽𑖭𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ජිඝාංසා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩣𑩑𑩟𑩛𑪖𑪁𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚑𑚮𑚍𑚭𑚫𑚨𑚭 (Takri script)
• ஜிக⁴ாஂஸா (Tamil script)
• జిఘాంసా (Telugu script)
• ชิฆาํสา (Thai script)
• ཛི་གྷཱཾ་སཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒖𑒱𑒒𑒰𑓀𑒮𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨥𑨁𑨎𑨊𑨸𑨰𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Back-formation of जिघांसति (jíghāṃsati, “to wish to kill/destroy”) +‎ -आ (-ā).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑi.ɡʱɑ̃ː.sɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑi.ɡʱɑ̃ː.s̪ɑː/

Noun

जिघांसा • (jighāṃsā) stem, f

1. desire to kill or destroy
   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.54.30:

     ततो रथादवप्लुत्य खड्‍गपाणिर्जिघांसया। कृष्णमभ्यद्रवत् क्रुद्धः पतङ्ग इव पावकम्॥

     tato rathādavaplutya khaḍ‍gapāṇirjighāṃsayā. kṛṣṇamabhyadravat kruddhaḥ pataṅga iva pāvakam.

     Then Rukmī leaped down from his chariot and, sword in hand, rushed toward Kṛṣṇa with the desire to kill him, like a bird flying into the wind.

2. malice, revenge

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of जिघांसा

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	जिघांसा (jighāṃsā)	जिघांसे (jighāṃse)	जिघांसाः (jighāṃsāḥ)
vocative	जिघांसे (jighāṃse)	जिघांसे (jighāṃse)	जिघांसाः (jighāṃsāḥ)
accusative	जिघांसाम् (jighāṃsām)	जिघांसे (jighāṃse)	जिघांसाः (jighāṃsāḥ)
instrumental	जिघांसया (jighāṃsayā) जिघांसा¹ (jighāṃsā¹)	जिघांसाभ्याम् (jighāṃsābhyām)	जिघांसाभिः (jighāṃsābhiḥ)
dative	जिघांसायै (jighāṃsāyai)	जिघांसाभ्याम् (jighāṃsābhyām)	जिघांसाभ्यः (jighāṃsābhyaḥ)
ablative	जिघांसायाः (jighāṃsāyāḥ) जिघांसायै² (jighāṃsāyai²)	जिघांसाभ्याम् (jighāṃsābhyām)	जिघांसाभ्यः (jighāṃsābhyaḥ)
genitive	जिघांसायाः (jighāṃsāyāḥ) जिघांसायै² (jighāṃsāyai²)	जिघांसयोः (jighāṃsayoḥ)	जिघांसानाम् (jighāṃsānām)
locative	जिघांसायाम् (jighāṃsāyām)	जिघांसयोः (jighāṃsayoḥ)	जिघांसासु (jighāṃsāsu)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “जिघांसा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 421.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “jighāṃsā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “जिघांसा”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “जिघांसा”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press