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): /pɐ.ɕu/

Noun

पशु • (paśú or páśu) stem, m or n

1. cattle, kine
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पशुः (paśúḥ)	पशू (paśū́)	पशवः (paśávaḥ)
accusative	पशुम् (paśúm)	पशू (paśū́)	पशून् (paśū́n)
instrumental	पशुना (paśúnā) पश्वा¹ (paśvā́¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśúbhyām)	पशुभिः (paśúbhiḥ)
dative	पशवे (paśáve) पश्वे¹ (paśvé¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśúbhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśúbhyaḥ)
ablative	पशोः (paśóḥ) पश्वः¹ (paśváḥ¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśúbhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśúbhyaḥ)
genitive	पशोः (paśóḥ) पश्वः¹ (paśváḥ¹)	पश्वोः (paśvóḥ)	पशूनाम् (paśūnā́m)
locative	पशौ (paśaú)	पश्वोः (paśvóḥ)	पशुषु (paśúṣu)
vocative	पशो (páśo)	पशू (páśū)	पशवः (páśavaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Neuter u-stem declension of पशु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पशु (páśu)	पशुनी (páśunī)	पशूनि (páśūni) पशु¹ (páśu¹) पशू¹ (páśū¹)
accusative	पशु (páśu)	पशुनी (páśunī)	पशूनि (páśūni) पशु¹ (páśu¹) पशू¹ (páśū¹)
instrumental	पशुना (páśunā) पश्वा¹ (páśvā¹)	पशुभ्याम् (páśubhyām)	पशुभिः (páśubhiḥ)
dative	पशुने (páśune) पशवे¹ (páśave¹) पश्वे¹ (páśve¹)	पशुभ्याम् (páśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (páśubhyaḥ)
ablative	पशुनः (páśunaḥ) पशोः¹ (páśoḥ¹) पश्वः¹ (páśvaḥ¹)	पशुभ्याम् (páśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (páśubhyaḥ)
genitive	पशुनः (páśunaḥ) पशोः¹ (páśoḥ¹) पश्वः¹ (páśvaḥ¹)	पशुनोः (páśunoḥ) पश्वोः¹ (páśvoḥ¹)	पशूनाम् (páśūnām)
locative	पशुनि (páśuni) पशौ¹ (páśau¹)	पशुनोः (páśunoḥ) पश्वोः¹ (páśvoḥ¹)	पशुषु (páśuṣu)
vocative	पशु (páśu) पशो (páśo)	पशुनी (páśunī)	पशूनि (páśūni) पशु¹ (páśu¹) पशू¹ (páśū¹)

• 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