शिरस्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• শিৰস্ (Assamese script)
• ᬰᬶᬭᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
• শিরস্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰫𑰰𑰨𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀰𑀺𑀭𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ၐိရသ် (Burmese script)
• શિરસ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਸ਼ਿਰਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌶𑌿𑌰𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦯꦶꦫꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂬𑂱𑂩𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಶಿರಸ್ (Kannada script)
• ឝិរស៑ (Khmer script)
• ຨິຣສ຺ (Lao script)
• ശിരസ് (Malayalam script)
• ᡧᡳᡵᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
• 𑘫𑘱𑘨𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠱᠢᠷᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧋𑧒𑧈𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐱𑐶𑐬𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
• ଶିରସ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢯꢶꢬꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆯𑆴𑆫𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖫𑖰𑖨𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
• ශිරස් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩿𑩑𑩼𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚧𑚮𑚤𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
• ஶிரஸ் (Tamil script)
• శిరస్ (Telugu script)
• ศิรสฺ (Thai script)
• ཤི་ར་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒬𑒱𑒩𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨮𑨁𑨫𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćŕ̥Has, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱŕ̥h₂-os, from *ḱerh₂- (“head”); see there for more. Cognate with Avestan 𐬯𐬁𐬭𐬀 (sāra), Persian سر (sar), Latin cerebrum.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɕí.ɾɐs/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɕi.ɾɐs̪/

Noun

शिरस् • (śíras) stem, n

1. (anatomy) head, skull
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 3.51:

     इ॒दं ह्यन्वोज॑सा सु॒तं रा॑धानां पते । पिबा॒ त्व१॒॑स्य गि॑र्वणः ॥ यस्ते॒ अनु॑ स्व॒धामस॑त्सु॒ते नि य॑च्छ त॒न्वं॑ । स त्वा॑ ममत्तु सो॒म्यं ॥ प्र ते॑ अश्नोतु कु॒क्ष्योः प्रेन्द्र॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ शिरः॑ । प्र बा॒हू शू॑र॒ राध॑से ॥

     idáṃ hyánvójasā sutáṃ rādhānāṃ pate. píbā tvàsyá girvaṇaḥ. yáste ánu svadhā́másatsuté ní yaccha tanvàṃ. sá tvā mamattu somyáṃ. prá te aśnotu kukṣyóḥ préndra bráhmaṇā śíraḥ. prá bāhū́ śūra rā́dhase.

     So, Lord of affluent gifts, this juice hath been pressed for thee with strength. Drink of it, thou who lovest song. Incline thy body to this juice which suits thy Godlike nature well. May it cheer thee who lovest it. Brave Indra, let it work through both thy flanks, and through thy head by prayer, and through thine arms, to prosper us.

2. the upper end or highest part of anything, top, peak, summit, pinnacle, acme
3. the forepart or van (of an army)
4. the beginning (of a verse)
5. the head, leader, chief, foremost, first (of a class)

Declension

Neuter as-stem declension of शिरस्

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	शिरः (śiraḥ)	शिरसी (śirasī)	शिरांसि (śirāṃsi)
vocative	शिरः (śiraḥ)	शिरसी (śirasī)	शिरांसि (śirāṃsi)
accusative	शिरः (śiraḥ)	शिरसी (śirasī)	शिरांसि (śirāṃsi)
instrumental	शिरसा (śirasā)	शिरोभ्याम् (śirobhyām)	शिरोभिः (śirobhiḥ)
dative	शिरसे (śirase)	शिरोभ्याम् (śirobhyām)	शिरोभ्यः (śirobhyaḥ)
ablative	शिरसः (śirasaḥ)	शिरोभ्याम् (śirobhyām)	शिरोभ्यः (śirobhyaḥ)
genitive	शिरसः (śirasaḥ)	शिरसोः (śirasoḥ)	शिरसाम् (śirasām)
locative	शिरसि (śirasi)	शिरसोः (śirasoḥ)	शिरःसु (śiraḥsu)

Borrowed terms

• → Telugu: శిరస్సు (śirassu), శిరసు (śirasu)

Descendants

• Ardhamagadhi Prakrit: 𑀲𑀺𑀭 (sira)
  • Awadhi: सिर (sir)
• Dardic:
  • Kashmiri: [script needed] (hīrü)
  • Northwest Pashayi: [script needed] (šīr)
• Helu Prakrit:
  • Sinhalese: සිර (sira)
• Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀲𑀺𑀭 (sira)
  • Assamese: সিৰ (xir)
  • Bengali: শির (śir)
  • Maithili: सिर (sir)
  • Odia: ସିର (sira)
• Pali: siras
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀲𑀺𑀭 (sira)
  • Garhwali: सिर (sir)
  • Gujarati: સિર (sir)
  • Hindustani:
    • Hindi: सिर (sir)
    • Urdu: سر (sir)
  • Kumaoni: सिर (sir)
  • Nepali: सिर (sira)
  • Punjabi: ਸਿਰ (sir), سر (sir)
  • Romani: śero, shero (Anglicized), šero (Pan-Vlax)
    • → Hungarian: séró

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “शिरस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1072/2.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “śíras”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 638-639