श्वन्

See also: श्वान, श्वानो, and श्वानों

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• শ্বন্ (Assamese script)
• ᬰ᭄ᬯᬦ᭄ (Balinese script)
• শ্বন্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰫𑰿𑰪𑰡𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀰𑁆𑀯𑀦𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ၐွန် (Burmese script)
• શ્વન્ (Gujarati script)
• ਸ਼੍ਵਨ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌶𑍍𑌵𑌨𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦯ꧀ꦮꦤ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂬𑂹𑂫𑂢𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಶ್ವೝ (Kannada script)
• ឝ្វន៑ (Khmer script)
• ຨ຺ວນ຺ (Lao script)
• ശ്വന് (Malayalam script)
• ᡧᠣᠸᠠᠨ (Manchu script)
• 𑘫𑘿𑘪𑘡𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠱᢦᠨ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧋𑧠𑧊𑧁𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐱𑑂𑐰𑐣𑑂 (Newa script)
• ଶ୍ଵନ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢯ꣄ꢮꢥ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆯𑇀𑆮𑆤𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖫𑖿𑖪𑖡𑖿 (Siddham script)
• ශ‍්වන් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩿 𑪙𑩾𑩯 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚧𑚶𑚦𑚝𑚶 (Takri script)
• ஶ்வந் (Tamil script)
• శ్వౝ (Telugu script)
• ศฺวนฺ (Thai script)
• ཤྭ་ན྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒬𑓂𑒫𑒢𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨮𑩇𑨭𑨝𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćwā́, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (“dog”). Cognate with Ancient Greek κύων (kúōn, “dog”), Latin canis (“dog”), Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬥 (span, “dog”), Lithuanian šuo, Old Armenian շուն (šun), Old English hund (whence English hound).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɕʋɐ́n/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɕʋɐn̪/

Noun

श्वन् • (śván) stem, m (feminine शुनी)

1. a dog; hound; cur
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 2.39.4:

     ना॒वेव॑ नः पारयतं यु॒गेव॒ नभ्ये॑व न उप॒धीव॑ प्र॒धीव॑।
     श्वाने॑व नो॒ अरि॑षण्या त॒नूनां॒ खृग॑लेव वि॒स्रसः॑ पातम॒स्मान्॥

     nāvéva naḥ pārayataṃ yugéva nábhyeva na upadhī́va pradhī́va.
     śvā́neva no áriṣaṇyā tanū́nāṃ khṛ́galeva visrásaḥ pātamasmā́n.

     Bear us across the sea of life, like two vessels, or like the poles of a car, the axles, the spokes, the fellies of two wheels. Be like two dogs, warding off injury to our people, and, like two coats of mail, defend us from decay.

   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 5.70.70:

     प्रतिघातेन सान्त्वस्य दारुणं संप्रवर्तते।
     तच्छुनाम्इव गोपादे पण्डितैरुपलक्षितम्॥

     pratighātena sāntvasya dāruṇaṃ saṃpravartate.
     tacchunāmiva gopāde paṇḍitairupalakṣitam.

     With the failure of appeasement, hostility ensues;
     This is observed by the wise in a gopāda (brawl?) of dog-like men.

   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 17.3.7:

     अयं श्वा भूतभव्येश भक्तो मां नित्यमेव ह।
     स गच्छेत मया सार्धमानृशंस्या हि मे मतिः॥

     ayaṃ śvā bhūtabhavyeśa bhakto māṃ nityameva ha.
     sa gaccheta mayā sārdhamānṛśaṃsyā hi me matiḥ.

     O master of past and present, this dog has been constantly loyal to me like no other.
     Let him go with me side by side, for the sake of my care (for his wellbeing).

Declension

Masculine an-stem declension of श्वन् (śván)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	श्वा śvā́	श्वानौ / श्वाना¹ śvā́nau / śvā́nā¹	श्वानः śvā́naḥ
Vocative	श्वन् śván	श्वानौ / श्वाना¹ śvā́nau / śvā́nā¹	श्वानः śvā́naḥ
Accusative	श्वानम् śvā́nam	श्वानौ / श्वाना¹ śvā́nau / śvā́nā¹	शुनः śúnaḥ
Instrumental	शुना śúnā	श्वभ्याम् śvábhyām	श्वभिः śvábhiḥ
Dative	शुने śúne	श्वभ्याम् śvábhyām	श्वभ्यः śvábhyaḥ
Ablative	शुनः śúnaḥ	श्वभ्याम् śvábhyām	श्वभ्यः śvábhyaḥ
Genitive	शुनः śúnaḥ	शुनोः śúnoḥ	शुनाम् śúnām
Locative	शुनि śúni	शुनोः śúnoḥ	श्वसु śvásu
Notes	¹Vedic

Feminine ī-stem declension of शुनी (śunī́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	शुनी śunī́	शुन्यौ / शुनी¹ śunyaù / śunī́¹	शुन्यः / शुनीः¹ śunyàḥ / śunī́ḥ¹
Vocative	शुनि śúni	शुन्यौ / शुनी¹ śúnyau / śúnī¹	शुन्यः / शुनीः¹ śúnyaḥ / śúnīḥ¹
Accusative	शुनीम् śunī́m	शुन्यौ / शुनी¹ śunyaù / śunī́¹	शुनीः śunī́ḥ
Instrumental	शुन्या śunyā́	शुनीभ्याम् śunī́bhyām	शुनीभिः śunī́bhiḥ
Dative	शुन्यै śunyaí	शुनीभ्याम् śunī́bhyām	शुनीभ्यः śunī́bhyaḥ
Ablative	शुन्याः / शुन्यै² śunyā́ḥ / śunyaí²	शुनीभ्याम् śunī́bhyām	शुनीभ्यः śunī́bhyaḥ
Genitive	शुन्याः / शुन्यै² śunyā́ḥ / śunyaí²	शुन्योः śunyóḥ	शुनीनाम् śunī́nām
Locative	शुन्याम् śunyā́m	शुन्योः śunyóḥ	शुनीषु śunī́ṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kalasha: šọ̃́a
  • Kashmiri:

    Arabic script: ہوٗن (hūn)

    Devanagari script: हून (hūn)

  • Shina: śun
• Pali: sā, soṇa
  • → Thai: โสณ (sǒo-ná-) (learned)
• Prakrit:
  • Konkani: सूणें (sūṇẽ)

Further reading

• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “śvan”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “श्वन्”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 323
• Monier Williams (1899) “श्वन्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1105/1.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “श्वन्”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 1580