पिशाच

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit पिशाच (piśāca).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /pɪ.ʃɑːt͡ʃ/, [pɪ.ʃäːt͡ʃ]

Noun

पिशाच • (piśāc) m (Urdu spelling پشاچ) (rare, formal)

demon, evil spirit
Synonyms: असुर (asur), राक्षस (rākṣas)

Declension

Declension of पिशाच (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	पिशाच piśāc	पिशाच piśāc
oblique	पिशाच piśāc	पिशाचों piśācõ
vocative	पिशाच piśāc	पिशाचो piśāco

References

McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “पिशाच”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Pishacha

Wikipedia

Alternative scripts

পিশাচ (Assamese script)
ᬧᬶᬰᬵᬘ (Balinese script)
পিশাচ (Bengali script)
𑰢𑰰𑰫𑰯𑰓 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀧𑀺𑀰𑀸𑀘 (Brahmi script)
ပိၐာစ (Burmese script)
પિશાચ (Gujarati script)
ਪਿਸ਼ਾਚ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌪𑌿𑌶𑌾𑌚 (Grantha script)
ꦥꦶꦯꦴꦕ (Javanese script)
𑂣𑂱𑂬𑂰𑂒 (Kaithi script)
ಪಿಶಾಚ (Kannada script)
បិឝាច (Khmer script)
ປິຨາຈ (Lao script)
പിശാച (Malayalam script)
ᢒᡳᡧᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢜᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘢𑘱𑘫𑘰𑘓 (Modi script)
ᢒᠢᠱᠠᢗᢋᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧂𑧒𑧋𑧑𑦳 (Nandinagari script)
𑐥𑐶𑐱𑐵𑐔 (Newa script)
ପିଶାଚ (Odia script)
ꢦꢶꢯꢵꢗ (Saurashtra script)
𑆥𑆴𑆯𑆳𑆖 (Sharada script)
𑖢𑖰𑖫𑖯𑖓 (Siddham script)
පිශාච (Sinhalese script)
𑩰𑩑𑩿𑩛𑩡 (Soyombo script)
𑚞𑚮𑚧𑚭𑚏 (Takri script)
பிஶாச (Tamil script)
పిశాచ (Telugu script)
ปิศาจ (Thai script)
པི་ཤཱ་ཙ (Tibetan script)
𑒣𑒱𑒬𑒰𑒔 (Tirhuta script)
𑨞𑨁𑨮𑨊𑨣 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Derived from the root पिश् (piś, “to carve, prepare meat”), because of the demons' fondness for meat.^[1] The root is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- (“to hew, cut out”).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /pi.ɕɑː.t͡ɕɐ́/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pi.ɕɑː.t͡ɕɐ/

Noun

पिशाच • (piśācá) stem, m

a fiend, ogre, demon, imp, malevolent or devilish being

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of पिशाच
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पिशाचः (piśācáḥ)	पिशाचौ (piśācaú) पिशाचा¹ (piśācā́¹)	पिशाचाः (piśācā́ḥ) पिशाचासः¹ (piśācā́saḥ¹)
vocative	पिशाच (píśāca)	पिशाचौ (píśācau) पिशाचा¹ (píśācā¹)	पिशाचाः (píśācāḥ) पिशाचासः¹ (píśācāsaḥ¹)
accusative	पिशाचम् (piśācám)	पिशाचौ (piśācaú) पिशाचा¹ (piśācā́¹)	पिशाचान् (piśācā́n)
instrumental	पिशाचेन (piśācéna)	पिशाचाभ्याम् (piśācā́bhyām)	पिशाचैः (piśācaíḥ) पिशाचेभिः¹ (piśācébhiḥ¹)
dative	पिशाचाय (piśācā́ya)	पिशाचाभ्याम् (piśācā́bhyām)	पिशाचेभ्यः (piśācébhyaḥ)
ablative	पिशाचात् (piśācā́t)	पिशाचाभ्याम् (piśācā́bhyām)	पिशाचेभ्यः (piśācébhyaḥ)
genitive	पिशाचस्य (piśācásya)	पिशाचयोः (piśācáyoḥ)	पिशाचानाम् (piśācā́nām)
locative	पिशाचे (piśācé)	पिशाचयोः (piśācáyoḥ)	पिशाचेषु (piśācéṣu)

¹Vedic

Descendants

Pali: pisāca^[2]
Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀧𑀺𑀲𑀸𑀅 (pisāa)
→ Hindi: पिशाच (piśāc)
→ Punjabi: ਪਿਸ਼ਾਚ (piśāc)

References

^ Monier Williams (1899) “पिशाच”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 628, column 2.
^ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “piśācá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

[1] Monier Williams (1899) “पिशाच”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 628, column 2.

[2] Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “piśācá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

[1]

[2]