पशु

See also: पशू, पिश, पेश, पेशा, and पेशी

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit पशु (paśu). Doublet of पस (pas).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

पशु • (paśu) m (Urdu spelling پشو)

1. domesticated animal
2. (rare, chiefly in compounds) cattle

Declension

Declension of पशु (masc u-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	पशु paśu	पशु paśu
oblique	पशु paśu	पशुओं paśuõ
vocative	पशु paśu	पशुओ paśuo

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• পশু (Assamese script)
• ᬧᬰᬸ (Balinese script)
• পশু (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰫𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑀰𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ပၐု (Burmese script)
• પશુ (Gujarati script)
• ਪਸ਼ੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑌶𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦯꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂬𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಪಶು (Kannada script)
• បឝុ (Khmer script)
• ປຨຸ (Lao script)
• പശു (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᠠᡧᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘫𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠠᠱᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑧋𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑐱𑐸 (Newa script)
• ପଶୁ (Odia script)
• ꢦꢯꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑆯𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖫𑖲 (Siddham script)
• පශු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰𑩿𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚧𑚰 (Takri script)
• பஶு (Tamil script)
• పశు (Telugu script)
• ปศุ (Thai script)
• པ་ཤུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑒬𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑨮𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *peḱ-

Proto-Indo-European *péḱu

Proto-Indo-Iranian *páću

Sanskrit पशु (paśu)

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *páću, from Proto-Indo-European *péḱu (“cattle, livestock”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬯𐬎 (pasu, “livestock”), Latin pecū (“cattle”), Old English feoh (“livestock, cattle”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿 (faihu, “cattle”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɐ.ɕú/, /pɐ́.ɕu/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈpɐ.ɕu/

Noun

पशु • (paśú or páśu) stem, m or n

1. cattle, kine
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 3.62.14:

     सोमो॑ अ॒स्मभ्यं॑ द्वि॒पदे॒ चतु॑ष्पदे च प॒शवे॑ ।
     अ॒न॒मी॒वा इष॑स्करत् ॥

     sómo asmábhyaṃ dvipáde cátuṣpade ca paśáve.
     anamīvā́ íṣaskarat.

     May Soma grant us and our cattle nutritious food,
     To two-footed (humans) and to quadruped (animals).

2. any domesticated animal
   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of पशु (paśú)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	पशुः paśúḥ	पशू paśū́	पशवः paśávaḥ
Vocative	पशो páśo	पशू páśū	पशवः páśavaḥ
Accusative	पशुम् paśúm	पशू paśū́	पशून् paśū́n
Instrumental	पशुना / पश्वा¹ paśúnā / paśvā́¹	पशुभ्याम् paśúbhyām	पशुभिः paśúbhiḥ
Dative	पशवे / पश्वे¹ paśáve / paśvé¹	पशुभ्याम् paśúbhyām	पशुभ्यः paśúbhyaḥ
Ablative	पशोः / पश्वः¹ paśóḥ / paśváḥ¹	पशुभ्याम् paśúbhyām	पशुभ्यः paśúbhyaḥ
Genitive	पशोः / पश्वः¹ paśóḥ / paśváḥ¹	पश्वोः paśvóḥ	पशूनाम् paśūnā́m
Locative	पशौ paśaú	पश्वोः paśvóḥ	पशुषु paśúṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Neuter u-stem declension of पशु (páśu)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	पशु páśu	पशुनी páśunī	पशूनि / पशु¹ / पशू¹ páśūni / páśu¹ / páśū¹
Vocative	पशु / पशो páśu / páśo	पशुनी páśunī	पशूनि / पशु¹ / पशू¹ páśūni / páśu¹ / páśū¹
Accusative	पशु páśu	पशुनी páśunī	पशूनि / पशु¹ / पशू¹ páśūni / páśu¹ / páśū¹
Instrumental	पशुना / पश्वा¹ páśunā / páśvā¹	पशुभ्याम् páśubhyām	पशुभिः páśubhiḥ
Dative	पशुने / पशवे¹ / पश्वे¹ páśune / páśave¹ / páśve¹	पशुभ्याम् páśubhyām	पशुभ्यः páśubhyaḥ
Ablative	पशुनः / पशोः¹ / पश्वः¹ páśunaḥ / páśoḥ¹ / páśvaḥ¹	पशुभ्याम् páśubhyām	पशुभ्यः páśubhyaḥ
Genitive	पशुनः / पशोः¹ / पश्वः¹ páśunaḥ / páśoḥ¹ / páśvaḥ¹	पशुनोः páśunoḥ	पशूनाम् páśūnām
Locative	पशुनि / पशौ¹ páśuni / páśau¹	पशुनोः páśunoḥ	पशुषु páśuṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀧𑀲𑀼 (pasu), 𐨤𐨭𐨂 (paśu) (Northwest)
  • Gandhari: 𐨤𐨭𐨂 (paśu)
  • Magadhi Prakrit:
    • Assamese: পহু (pohu), পশু (poxu)
  • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀧𑀲𑀼 (pasu)
    • Marathi: पशू (paśū)
  • Paisaci Prakrit:
    • Punjabi: ਪਸੂ (pasū)
  • Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀧𑀲𑀼 (pasu)
    • Hindi: पस (pas, “heifer”)
• Dardic:
  • Kashmiri: پۆش (poś)
• Pali: pasu
  • ⇒ Pali: pasuka
  • → Old Kannada: ಪಸು (pasu)
    • Kannada: ಹಸು (hasu)
• → Cebuano: pasong
• → Kannada: ಪಶು (paśu)
• → Malayalam: പശു (paśu)
• → Tamil: பசு (pacu)
• → Telugu: పశువు (paśuvu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “पशु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 611, column 2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 108