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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पशुः (paśuḥ)	पशू (paśū)	पशवः (paśavaḥ)
vocative	पशो (paśo)	पशू (paśū)	पशवः (paśavaḥ)
accusative	पशुम् (paśum)	पशू (paśū)	पशून् (paśūn)
instrumental	पशुना (paśunā) पश्वा¹ (paśvā¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśubhyām)	पशुभिः (paśubhiḥ)
dative	पशवे (paśave) पश्वे¹ (paśve¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśubhyaḥ)
ablative	पशोः (paśoḥ) पश्वः¹ (paśvaḥ¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśubhyaḥ)
genitive	पशोः (paśoḥ) पश्वः¹ (paśvaḥ¹)	पश्वोः (paśvoḥ)	पशूनाम् (paśūnām)
locative	पशौ (paśau)	पश्वोः (paśvoḥ)	पशुषु (paśuṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Neuter u-stem declension of पशु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पशु (paśu)	पशुनी (paśunī)	पशूनि (paśūni) पशु¹ (paśu¹) पशू¹ (paśū¹)
vocative	पशु (paśu) पशो (paśo)	पशुनी (paśunī)	पशूनि (paśūni) पशु¹ (paśu¹) पशू¹ (paśū¹)
accusative	पशु (paśu)	पशुनी (paśunī)	पशूनि (paśūni) पशु¹ (paśu¹) पशू¹ (paśū¹)
instrumental	पशुना (paśunā) पश्वा¹ (paśvā¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśubhyām)	पशुभिः (paśubhiḥ)
dative	पशुने (paśune) पशवे¹ (paśave¹) पश्वे¹ (paśve¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśubhyaḥ)
ablative	पशुनः (paśunaḥ) पशोः¹ (paśoḥ¹) पश्वः¹ (paśvaḥ¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśubhyaḥ)
genitive	पशुनः (paśunaḥ) पशोः¹ (paśoḥ¹) पश्वः¹ (paśvaḥ¹)	पशुनोः (paśunoḥ)	पशूनाम् (paśūnām)
locative	पशुनि (paśuni) पशौ¹ (paśau¹)	पशुनोः (paśunoḥ)	पशुषु (paśuṣu)

• 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