पथिक

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit पथिक (pathika). By surface analysis, पथ (path) +‎ -इक (-ik).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /pə.t̪ʰɪk/, [pɐ.t̪ʰɪk]

Noun

पथिक • (pathik) m (feminine पथिका, Urdu spelling پَتھِک)

1. traveller, wayfarer

   Synonyms: यात्री (yātrī), राहगीर (rāhgīr), मार्गी (mārgī), मुसाफ़िर (musāfir)

Declension

Declension of पथिक (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	पथिक pathik	पथिक pathik
oblique	पथिक pathik	पथिकों pathikõ
vocative	पथिक pathik	पथिको pathiko

References

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “पथिक”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 2800
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “पथिक”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 598
• “पथिक”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.

Old Gujarati

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit पथिक (pathika). Doublet of पहिय (pahiya).

Noun

पथिक • (pathika) ?

1. traveller

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• পথিক (Assamese script)
• ᬧᬣᬶᬓ (Balinese script)
• পথিক (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰞𑰰𑰎 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑀣𑀺𑀓 (Brahmi script)
• ပထိက (Burmese script)
• પથિક (Gujarati script)
• ਪਥਿਕ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑌥𑌿𑌕 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦡꦶꦏ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂟𑂱𑂍 (Kaithi script)
• ಪಥಿಕ (Kannada script)
• បថិក (Khmer script)
• ປຖິກ (Lao script)
• പഥിക (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᠠᡨᡳᡬᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘞𑘱𑘎 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠠᠲᠢᢉᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑦾𑧒𑦮 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑐠𑐶𑐎 (Newa script)
• ପଥିକ (Odia script)
• ꢦꢢꢶꢒ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑆡𑆴𑆑 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖞𑖰𑖎 (Siddham script)
• පථික (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰𑩬𑩑𑩜 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚚𑚮𑚊 (Takri script)
• பதி²க (Tamil script)
• పథిక (Telugu script)
• ปถิก (Thai script)
• པ་ཐི་ཀ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑒟𑒱𑒏 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑨚𑨁𑨋 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From पथ (patha) +‎ -इक (-ika).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɐ.tʰi.kɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pɐ.t̪ʰi.kɐ/

Noun

पथिक • (pathika) stem, m (feminine पथिका or पथिकी)

1. traveller, wayfarer, wanderer

   Synonyms: यात्रिन् (yātrin), प्रयाणिक (prayāṇika)

   • c. 800 CE – 950 CE, Nārāyaṇa, Hitopadeśa 4.77:

     यथा हि पथिकः कश्चिच् छायाम् आश्रित्य तिष्ठति ।
     विश्रम्य च पुनर् गच्छेत् तद्वद् भूतसमागमः ॥

     yathā hi pathikaḥ kaścic chāyām āśritya tiṣṭhati.
     viśramya ca punar gacchet tadvad bhūtasamāgamaḥ.

     Just as some traveller takes refuge and sits in a shade.
     After resting he goes again; thus is life.

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of पथिक

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पथिकः (pathikaḥ)	पथिकौ (pathikau) पथिका¹ (pathikā¹)	पथिकाः (pathikāḥ) पथिकासः¹ (pathikāsaḥ¹)
vocative	पथिक (pathika)	पथिकौ (pathikau) पथिका¹ (pathikā¹)	पथिकाः (pathikāḥ) पथिकासः¹ (pathikāsaḥ¹)
accusative	पथिकम् (pathikam)	पथिकौ (pathikau) पथिका¹ (pathikā¹)	पथिकान् (pathikān)
instrumental	पथिकेन (pathikena)	पथिकाभ्याम् (pathikābhyām)	पथिकैः (pathikaiḥ) पथिकेभिः¹ (pathikebhiḥ¹)
dative	पथिकाय (pathikāya)	पथिकाभ्याम् (pathikābhyām)	पथिकेभ्यः (pathikebhyaḥ)
ablative	पथिकात् (pathikāt)	पथिकाभ्याम् (pathikābhyām)	पथिकेभ्यः (pathikebhyaḥ)
genitive	पथिकस्य (pathikasya)	पथिकयोः (pathikayoḥ)	पथिकानाम् (pathikānām)
locative	पथिके (pathike)	पथिकयोः (pathikayoḥ)	पथिकेषु (pathikeṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀧𑀳𑀺𑀅 (pahia)
  • Apabhramsa: 𑆥𑆲𑆴𑆪 (pahiya) (see there for further descendants)
• → Hindustani: pathik

  Hindi: पथिक

  Urdu: پَتھِک

• → Old Gujarati: पथिक (pathika)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “पथिक”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 582, column 3.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “pathika”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “पथिक”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 958
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “pathika”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 437