मुष्टि

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit मुष्टि (muṣṭí). Doublet of मूठ (mūṭh), मुट्ठी (muṭṭhī), and मुठिया (muṭhiyā).

Cognate to Persian مشت (môsht)

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /mʊʂ.ʈiː/

Noun

मुष्टि • (muṣṭi) f

1. (rare, formal) a fist

Declension

Declension of मुष्टि (fem i-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	मुष्टि muṣṭi	मुष्टियाँ muṣṭiyā̃
oblique	मुष्टि muṣṭi	मुष्टियों muṣṭiyõ
vocative	मुष्टि muṣṭi	मुष्टियो muṣṭiyo

References

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “मुष्टि”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “मुष्टि”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Platts, John T. (1884) “मुष्टि”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মুষ্টি (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬸᬱ᭄ᬝᬶ (Balinese script)
• মুষ্টি (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰲𑰬𑰿𑰘𑰰 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀺 (Brahmi script)
• မုၑ္ဋိ (Burmese script)
• મુષ્ટિ (Gujarati script)
• ਮੁਸ਼੍ਟਿ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑍁𑌷𑍍𑌟𑌿 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦸꦰ꧀ꦛꦶ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂳𑂭𑂹𑂗𑂱 (Kaithi script)
• ಮುಷ್ಟಿ (Kannada script)
• មុឞ្ដិ (Khmer script)
• ມຸຩ຺ຏິ (Lao script)
• മുഷ്ടി (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᡠᢢᢞᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘳𑘬𑘿𑘘𑘱 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠤᢔᢌᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧔𑧌𑧠𑦸𑧒 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐸𑐲𑑂𑐚𑐶 (Newa script)
• ମୁଷ୍ଟି (Odia script)
• ꢪꢸꢰ꣄ꢜꢶ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆶𑆰𑇀𑆛𑆴 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖲𑖬𑖿𑖘𑖰 (Siddham script)
• මුෂ‍්ටි (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑩒𑪀 𑪙𑩦𑩑 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚰𑚶𑚔𑚮 (Takri script)
• முஷ்டி (Tamil script)
• ముష్టి (Telugu script)
• มุษฺฏิ (Thai script)
• མུ་ཥྚི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒳𑒭𑓂𑒙𑒱 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨃𑨯𑩇𑨔𑨁 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *muštíš (“fist”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬨𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬌 (mušti), Middle Persian mwšt' (mušt).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /muʂ.ʈí/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmuʂ.ʈi/

Noun

मुष्टि • (muṣṭí) stem, m or f

1. fist, clenched hand
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 4.47.30:

     अप प्रोथ दुन्दुभे दुच्छुना इत इन्द्रस्य मुष्टिर्असि वीळयस्व॥

     apa protha dundubhe ducchunā ita indrasya muṣṭirasi vīḷayasva.

     O War-drum, drive away misfortune: thou art the Fist of Indra: show thy firmness.

2. a handful, fistful
   • c. 700 BCE, Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
3. stealing
4. sword hilt
5. the penis

Declension

Masculine i-stem declension of मुष्टि (muṣṭí)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मुष्टिः muṣṭíḥ	मुष्टी muṣṭī́	मुष्टयः muṣṭáyaḥ
Vocative	मुष्टे múṣṭe	मुष्टी múṣṭī	मुष्टयः múṣṭayaḥ
Accusative	मुष्टिम् muṣṭím	मुष्टी muṣṭī́	मुष्टीन् muṣṭī́n
Instrumental	मुष्टिना / मुष्ट्या¹ muṣṭínā / muṣṭyā́¹	मुष्टिभ्याम् muṣṭíbhyām	मुष्टिभिः muṣṭíbhiḥ
Dative	मुष्टये muṣṭáye	मुष्टिभ्याम् muṣṭíbhyām	मुष्टिभ्यः muṣṭíbhyaḥ
Ablative	मुष्टेः muṣṭéḥ	मुष्टिभ्याम् muṣṭíbhyām	मुष्टिभ्यः muṣṭíbhyaḥ
Genitive	मुष्टेः muṣṭéḥ	मुष्ट्योः muṣṭyóḥ	मुष्टीनाम् muṣṭīnā́m
Locative	मुष्टौ / मुष्टा¹ muṣṭaú / muṣṭā́¹	मुष्ट्योः muṣṭyóḥ	मुष्टिषु muṣṭíṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Feminine i-stem declension of मुष्टि (muṣṭí)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मुष्टिः muṣṭíḥ	मुष्टी muṣṭī́	मुष्टयः muṣṭáyaḥ
Vocative	मुष्टे múṣṭe	मुष्टी múṣṭī	मुष्टयः múṣṭayaḥ
Accusative	मुष्टिम् muṣṭím	मुष्टी muṣṭī́	मुष्टीः muṣṭī́ḥ
Instrumental	मुष्ट्या / मुष्टी¹ muṣṭyā́ / muṣṭī́¹	मुष्टिभ्याम् muṣṭíbhyām	मुष्टिभिः muṣṭíbhiḥ
Dative	मुष्टये / मुष्ट्यै² / मुष्टी¹ muṣṭáye / muṣṭyaí² / muṣṭī́¹	मुष्टिभ्याम् muṣṭíbhyām	मुष्टिभ्यः muṣṭíbhyaḥ
Ablative	मुष्टेः / मुष्ट्याः² / मुष्ट्यै³ muṣṭéḥ / muṣṭyā́ḥ² / muṣṭyaí³	मुष्टिभ्याम् muṣṭíbhyām	मुष्टिभ्यः muṣṭíbhyaḥ
Genitive	मुष्टेः / मुष्ट्याः² / मुष्ट्यै³ muṣṭéḥ / muṣṭyā́ḥ² / muṣṭyaí³	मुष्ट्योः muṣṭyóḥ	मुष्टीनाम् muṣṭīnā́m
Locative	मुष्टौ / मुष्ट्याम्² / मुष्टा¹ muṣṭaú / muṣṭyā́m² / muṣṭā́¹	मुष्ट्योः muṣṭyóḥ	मुष्टिषु muṣṭíṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Later Sanskrit ³Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kalasha: muṣṭí
  • Kashmiri: مۄٹھ (mọṭh)
• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀼𑀝𑁆𑀞𑀺 (muṭṭhi) (see there for further descendants)
• → Bengali: মুষ্টি (muśṭi)
• → Gujarati: મુષ્ટિ (muṣṭi)
• → Kannada: ಮುಷ್ಟಿ (muṣṭi)
• → Old Javanese: muṣṭi
• → Javanese: ꦩꦼꦱ꧀ꦛꦶ (mesthi)
  • → Malay: mesti
    • > Indonesian: mesti (inherited)
• → Tamil: முஷ்டி (muṣṭi)
• → Telugu: ముష్టి (muṣṭi)
• → Hindi: मुष्टि (muṣṭi) (learned)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “मुष्टि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 824.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “मुष्टि”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 363
• Lubotsky, Alexander (2011) The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “muṣṭí”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “muṣṭi”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.