पवस्त

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

পৱস্ত (Assamese script)
ᬧᬯᬲ᭄ᬢ (Balinese script)
পবস্ত (Bengali script)
𑰢𑰪𑰭𑰿𑰝 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀧𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀢 (Brahmi script)
ပဝသ္တ (Burmese script)
પવસ્ત (Gujarati script)
ਪਵਸ੍ਤ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌪𑌵𑌸𑍍𑌤 (Grantha script)
ꦥꦮꦱ꧀ꦠ (Javanese script)
𑂣𑂫𑂮𑂹𑂞 (Kaithi script)
ಪವಸ್ತ (Kannada script)
បវស្ត (Khmer script)
ປວສ຺ຕ (Lao script)
പവസ്ത (Malayalam script)
ᢒᠠᠸᠠᠰ᠌ᢠᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘢𑘪𑘭𑘿𑘝 (Modi script)
ᢒᠠᠸᠠᠰᢐᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧂𑧊𑧍𑧠𑦽 (Nandinagari script)
𑐥𑐰𑐳𑑂𑐟 (Newa script)
ପଵସ୍ତ (Odia script)
ꢦꢮꢱ꣄ꢡ (Saurashtra script)
𑆥𑆮𑆱𑇀𑆠 (Sharada script)
𑖢𑖪𑖭𑖿𑖝 (Siddham script)
පවස‍්ත (Sinhalese script)
𑩰𑩾𑪁 𑪙𑩫 (Soyombo script)
𑚞𑚦𑚨𑚶𑚙 (Takri script)
பவஸ்த (Tamil script)
పవస్త (Telugu script)
ปวสฺต (Thai script)
པ་ཝ་སྟ (Tibetan script)
𑒣𑒫𑒮𑓂𑒞 (Tirhuta script)
𑨞𑨭𑨰𑩇𑨙 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *pawástam (“covering, envelope”). Cognate with Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎺𐎿𐎫𐎠 (p-a-v-s-t-a /⁠pavastā⁠/, “thin clay envelope”), whence Persian (pust, “hide”). Also compare पुस्तक (pustaka), a borrowing from Middle Iranian. The Indo-Iranian word most likely traces back to a combination of *pa-was-ta-, the former component from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“off, away”) (compare अप (apa, “away, back; down”)), and the latter from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to dress”) (compare वस्ते (vaste, “to put on, invest, wear”)). The form of the former component as प-, rather than the expected अप-, is explained as a preserved archaism from Old Indo-Aryan.^[1]^[2]

Alternatively, Cheung connects the word to Proto-Iranian *paus- (“to dress, clothe, cover”) (whence Persian (pušidan, “to wear clothes”)), deriving both from an unidentified substrate.^[3] This is less likely, considering the word's Vedic presence and existence of a plausible Indo-Iranian etymology.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɐ.ʋɐ́s.tɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pɐˈʋɐs̪.t̪ɐ/

Noun

पवस्त • (pavásta) stem, n

a covering, garment
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.27.7:
  अभूर्वौक्षीर्व्यु आयुरानड्दर्षन्नु पूर्वो अपरो नु दर्षत् ।
  द्वे पवस्ते परि तं न भूतो यो अस्य पारे रजसो विवेष ॥
  abhūrvaukṣīrvyu āyurānaḍdarṣannu pūrvo aparo nu darṣat.
  dve pavaste pari taṃ na bhūto yo asya pāre rajaso viveṣa.
  Thou wast, thou grewest to full vital vigour: an earlier saw, a later one shall see thee.
  Two canopies, as ’twere, are round about him who reacheth to the limit of this region.
- c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 4.7.6:
  पवस्तैस् त्वा पर्यक्रीणन् दूर्शेभिर् अजिनैर् उत ।
  प्रक्रीरसि त्वम् ओषधेऽभ्रिखाते न रूरुपः ॥
  pavastais tvā paryakrīṇan dūrśebhir ajinair uta.
  prakrīrasi tvam oṣadheʼbhrikhāte na rūrupaḥ.
  For coverings men have bartered thee, for skins of deer and woven cloths.
  Thou art a thing of sale, O Plant. Dug up with mattocks, gripe not thou!

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of पवस्त (pavásta)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	पवस्तम् pavástam	पवस्ते paváste	पवस्तानि / पवस्ता¹ pavástāni / pavástā¹
Vocative	पवस्त pávasta	पवस्ते pávaste	पवस्तानि / पवस्ता¹ pávastāni / pávastā¹
Accusative	पवस्तम् pavástam	पवस्ते paváste	पवस्तानि / पवस्ता¹ pavástāni / pavástā¹
Instrumental	पवस्तेन pavástena	पवस्ताभ्याम् pavástābhyām	पवस्तैः / पवस्तेभिः¹ pavástaiḥ / pavástebhiḥ¹
Dative	पवस्ताय pavástāya	पवस्ताभ्याम् pavástābhyām	पवस्तेभ्यः pavástebhyaḥ
Ablative	पवस्तात् pavástāt	पवस्ताभ्याम् pavástābhyām	पवस्तेभ्यः pavástebhyaḥ
Genitive	पवस्तस्य pavástasya	पवस्तयोः pavástayoḥ	पवस्तानाम् pavástānām
Locative	पवस्ते paváste	पवस्तयोः pavástayoḥ	पवस्तेषु pavásteṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

Pali: potthaka (with Middle Indo-Aryan -ka-)
Prakrit: 𑀧𑁄𑀢𑁆𑀣 (pŏttha)
Prakrit: 𑀧𑁄𑀢𑁆𑀣𑀬 (pŏtthaya) (with Middle Indo-Aryan -ka-)
- Sindhi: پوٿو (potho, “lump of rag for smearing”)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “पवस्त”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 611/2.
Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “पवस्त”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan

^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 105
^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 238
^ Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 303

[1] Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 105

[2] Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 238

[3] Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 303

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