बिम्ब

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• বিম্ব (Assamese script)
• ᬩᬶᬫ᭄ᬩ (Balinese script)
• বিম্ব (Bengali script)
• 𑰤𑰰𑰦𑰿𑰤 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀩𑀺𑀫𑁆𑀩 (Brahmi script)
• ဗိမ္ဗ (Burmese script)
• બિમ્બ (Gujarati script)
• ਬਿਮ੍ਬ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌬𑌿𑌮𑍍𑌬 (Grantha script)
• ꦧꦶꦩ꧀ꦧ (Javanese script)
• 𑂥𑂱𑂧𑂹𑂥 (Kaithi script)
• ಬಿಮ್ಬ (Kannada script)
• ពិម្ព (Khmer script)
• ພິມ຺ພ (Lao script)
• ബിമ്ബ (Malayalam script)
• ᠪᡳᠮᠪᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘤𑘱𑘦𑘿𑘤 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠢᠮᠪᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧄𑧒𑧆𑧠𑧄 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐧𑐶𑐩𑑂𑐧 (Newa script)
• ବିମ୍ବ (Odia script)
• ꢨꢶꢪ꣄ꢨ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆧𑆴𑆩𑇀𑆧 (Sharada script)
• 𑖤𑖰𑖦𑖿𑖤 (Siddham script)
• බිම‍්බ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩲𑩑𑩴 𑪙𑩲 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚠𑚮𑚢𑚶𑚠 (Takri script)
• பி³ம்ப³ (Tamil script)
• బిమ్బ (Telugu script)
• พิมฺพ (Thai script)
• བི་མྦ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒥𑒱𑒧𑓂𑒥 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨠𑨁𑨢𑩇𑨠 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Probably an independent formation of sound-symbolic origin, using bilabial stops to convey the image of a rounded object; compare Ancient Greek βέμβῐξ (bémbix, “spinning top; whirlpool”) for a similar formation, as well as the bouba-kiki effect for more on the phenomenon.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bim.bɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈbim.bɐ/

Noun

बिम्ब • (bimba) stem, m or n

1. the disc of the sun or moon
2. any sphere, orb, or disc (esp. of any rounded part of the body, such as the hips, buttocks, etc.)
3. a mirror
4. an image, shadow, reflection, picture, type
5. (rhetoric) the object compared (as opposed to प्रतिबिम्ब (pratibimba), the counterpart to which it is compared)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of बिम्ब (bimba)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	बिम्बः bimbaḥ	बिम्बौ / बिम्बा¹ bimbau / bimbā¹	बिम्बाः / बिम्बासः¹ bimbāḥ / bimbāsaḥ¹
Vocative	बिम्ब bimba	बिम्बौ / बिम्बा¹ bimbau / bimbā¹	बिम्बाः / बिम्बासः¹ bimbāḥ / bimbāsaḥ¹
Accusative	बिम्बम् bimbam	बिम्बौ / बिम्बा¹ bimbau / bimbā¹	बिम्बान् bimbān
Instrumental	बिम्बेन bimbena	बिम्बाभ्याम् bimbābhyām	बिम्बैः / बिम्बेभिः¹ bimbaiḥ / bimbebhiḥ¹
Dative	बिम्बाय bimbāya	बिम्बाभ्याम् bimbābhyām	बिम्बेभ्यः bimbebhyaḥ
Ablative	बिम्बात् bimbāt	बिम्बाभ्याम् bimbābhyām	बिम्बेभ्यः bimbebhyaḥ
Genitive	बिम्बस्य bimbasya	बिम्बयोः bimbayoḥ	बिम्बानाम् bimbānām
Locative	बिम्बे bimbe	बिम्बयोः bimbayoḥ	बिम्बेषु bimbeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Neuter a-stem declension of बिम्ब (bimba)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	बिम्बम् bimbam	बिम्बे bimbe	बिम्बानि / बिम्बा¹ bimbāni / bimbā¹
Vocative	बिम्ब bimba	बिम्बे bimbe	बिम्बानि / बिम्बा¹ bimbāni / bimbā¹
Accusative	बिम्बम् bimbam	बिम्बे bimbe	बिम्बानि / बिम्बा¹ bimbāni / bimbā¹
Instrumental	बिम्बेन bimbena	बिम्बाभ्याम् bimbābhyām	बिम्बैः / बिम्बेभिः¹ bimbaiḥ / bimbebhiḥ¹
Dative	बिम्बाय bimbāya	बिम्बाभ्याम् bimbābhyām	बिम्बेभ्यः bimbebhyaḥ
Ablative	बिम्बात् bimbāt	बिम्बाभ्याम् bimbābhyām	बिम्बेभ्यः bimbebhyaḥ
Genitive	बिम्बस्य bimbasya	बिम्बयोः bimbayoḥ	बिम्बानाम् bimbānām
Locative	बिम्बे bimbe	बिम्बयोः bimbayoḥ	बिम्बेषु bimbeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Noun

बिम्ब • (bimba) stem, m

1. a lizard, chameleon

Descendants

• → Malayalam: ബിംബം (bimbaṁ)
• → Thai: พิมพ์ (pim)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “बिम्ब”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 731/3.
• Apte, Macdonell (2022) “बिम्ब”, in Digital Dictionaries of South India [Combined Sanskrit Dictionaries]
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 225