वधू

See also: विधा and विधि

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱধূ (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬥᬹ (Balinese script)
• বধূ (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰠𑰳 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀥𑀽 (Brahmi script)
• ဝဓူ (Burmese script)
• વધૂ (Gujarati script)
• ਵਧੂ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌧𑍂 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦣꦹ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂡𑂴 (Kaithi script)
• ವಧೂ (Kannada script)
• វធូ (Khmer script)
• ວຘູ (Lao script)
• വധൂ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᠠᢡᡠᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘠𑘴 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠠᢑᠾᠤᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧀𑧕 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐢𑐹 (Newa script)
• ଵଧୂ (Odia script)
• ꢮꢤꢹ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆣𑆷 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖠𑖳 (Siddham script)
• වධූ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩮𑩒𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚜𑚱 (Takri script)
• வதூ⁴ (Tamil script)
• వధూ (Telugu script)
• วธู (Thai script)
• ཝ་དྷཱུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒡𑒴 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨜𑨃𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *wadʰúHs, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wadʰúHs, from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ-úHs, from *wedʰ- (“to bind, lead”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɐ.dʱúː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɐ.d̪ʱuː/

Noun

वधू • (vadhū́) stem, f

1. a bride or newly-married woman, young wife, spouse or any wife or woman
2. a daughter-in-law
3. any younger female relation
4. the female of any animal, especially a cow or mare

Declension

Feminine ū-stem declension of वधू

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	वधूः (vadhūḥ)	वध्वौ (vadhvau) वधू¹ (vadhū¹)	वध्वः (vadhvaḥ) वधूः¹ (vadhūḥ¹)
vocative	वधु (vadhu)	वध्वौ (vadhvau) वधू¹ (vadhū¹)	वध्वः (vadhvaḥ) वधूः¹ (vadhūḥ¹)
accusative	वधूम् (vadhūm)	वध्वौ (vadhvau) वधू¹ (vadhū¹)	वधूः (vadhūḥ)
instrumental	वध्वा (vadhvā)	वधूभ्याम् (vadhūbhyām)	वधूभिः (vadhūbhiḥ)
dative	वध्वै (vadhvai)	वधूभ्याम् (vadhūbhyām)	वधूभ्यः (vadhūbhyaḥ)
ablative	वध्वाः (vadhvāḥ) वध्वै² (vadhvai²)	वधूभ्याम् (vadhūbhyām)	वधूभ्यः (vadhūbhyaḥ)
genitive	वध्वाः (vadhvāḥ) वध्वै² (vadhvai²)	वध्वोः (vadhvoḥ)	वधूनाम् (vadhūnām)
locative	वध्वाम् (vadhvām)	वध्वोः (vadhvoḥ)	वधूषु (vadhūṣu)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀯𑀳𑀽 (vahū)
• Pali: vadhū
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀯𑀳𑀽 (vahū), 𑀯𑀥𑀽 (vadhū)
  • Hindustani:

• Hindi: बहू (bahū)
  • → English: bahu
• Urdu: بہو (bahū)

• → Kannada: ವಧು (vadhu)
• ⇒ Telugu: వధువు (vadhuvu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “वधू”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 917/1.