फिसड्डी

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Northwestern Indo-Aryan, whence Punjabi ਫਿਸੱਡੀ (phisaḍḍī). Probably, further from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀨𑀺𑀲𑁆𑀲 (*phissa, “defective”) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀟𑁆𑀟- (-ḍḍa-) + -𑀇𑀓𑀸- (-ikā-). Compare Nepali फिस्स (phissa, “easily torn”), Gujarati ફીસું (phīsũ, “easily torn”).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /pʰɪ.səɖ.ɖiː/, [pʰɪ.sɐɖ̚.ɖiː]

Adjective

फिसड्डी • (phisaḍḍī) (indeclinable)

1. one who lags behind
2. laggard, backward, idiot, sluggish

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “फिसड्डी”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “*phissa”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 510