पशु

See also: पशू, पिश, पेश, पेशा, and पेशी

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit पशु (paśu). Doublet of पस (pas).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /pə.ʃuː/, [pɐ.ʃuː]

Noun

पशु • (paśu) m (Urdu spelling پشو)

domesticated animal
(rare, chiefly in compounds) cattle

Declension

Declension of *पशु* (masc u-stem)
	singular	plural
direct	पशु paśu	पशु paśu
oblique	पशु paśu	पशुओं paśuõ
vocative	पशु paśu	पशुओ paśuo

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

পশু (Assamese script)
ᬧᬰᬸ (Balinese script)
পশু (Bengali script)
𑰢𑰫𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀧𑀰𑀼 (Brahmi script)
ပၐု (Burmese script)
પશુ (Gujarati script)
ਪਸ਼ੁ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌪𑌶𑍁 (Grantha script)
ꦥꦯꦸ (Javanese script)
𑂣𑂬𑂳 (Kaithi script)
ಪಶು (Kannada script)
បឝុ (Khmer script)
ປຨຸ (Lao script)
പശു (Malayalam script)
ᢒᠠᡧᡠ (Manchu script)
𑘢𑘫𑘳 (Modi script)
ᢒᠠᠱᠤ (Mongolian script)
𑧂𑧋𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
𑐥𑐱𑐸 (Newa script)
ପଶୁ (Odia script)
ꢦꢯꢸ (Saurashtra script)
𑆥𑆯𑆶 (Sharada script)
𑖢𑖫𑖲 (Siddham script)
පශු (Sinhalese script)
𑩰𑩿𑩒 (Soyombo script)
𑚞𑚧𑚰 (Takri script)
பஶு (Tamil script)
పశు (Telugu script)
ปศุ (Thai script)
པ་ཤུ (Tibetan script)
𑒣𑒬𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
𑨞𑨮𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *peḱ-

Proto-Indo-European *péḱu

Proto-Indo-Iranian *páću

Sanskrit पशु (paśu)

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *páću, from Proto-Indo-European *péḱu (“cattle, livestock”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬯𐬎 (pasu, “livestock”), Latin pecū (“cattle”), Old English feoh (“livestock, cattle”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿 (faihu, “cattle”).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɐ.ɕú/, /pɐ́.ɕu/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pɐ.ɕu/

Noun

पशु • (paśú or páśu) stem, m or n

cattle, kine
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 3.62.14:
  सोमो॑ अ॒स्मभ्यं॑ द्वि॒पदे॒ चतु॑ष्पदे च प॒शवे॑ ।
  अ॒न॒मी॒वा इष॑स्करत् ॥
  sómo asmábhyaṃ dvipáde cátuṣpade ca paśáve.
  anamīvā́ íṣaskarat.
  May Soma grant us and our cattle nutritious food,
  To two-footed (humans) and to quadruped (animals).
any domesticated animal
- c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of पशु
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पशुः (paśúḥ)	पशू (paśū́)	पशवः (paśávaḥ)
accusative	पशुम् (paśúm)	पशू (paśū́)	पशून् (paśū́n)
instrumental	पशुना (paśúnā) पश्वा¹ (paśvā́¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśúbhyām)	पशुभिः (paśúbhiḥ)
dative	पशवे (paśáve) पश्वे¹ (paśvé¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśúbhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśúbhyaḥ)
ablative	पशोः (paśóḥ) पश्वः¹ (paśváḥ¹)	पशुभ्याम् (paśúbhyām)	पशुभ्यः (paśúbhyaḥ)
genitive	पशोः (paśóḥ) पश्वः¹ (paśváḥ¹)	पश्वोः (paśvóḥ)	पशूनाम् (paśūnā́m)
locative	पशौ (paśaú)	पश्वोः (paśvóḥ)	पशुषु (paśúṣu)
vocative	पशो (páśo)	पशू (páśū)	पशवः (páśavaḥ)

¹Vedic

Neuter u-stem declension of पशु
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पशु (páśu)	पशुनी (páśunī)	पशूनि (páśūni) पशु¹ (páśu¹) पशू¹ (páśū¹)
accusative	पशु (páśu)	पशुनी (páśunī)	पशूनि (páśūni) पशु¹ (páśu¹) पशू¹ (páśū¹)
instrumental	पशुना (páśunā) पश्वा¹ (páśvā¹)	पशुभ्याम् (páśubhyām)	पशुभिः (páśubhiḥ)
dative	पशुने (páśune) पशवे¹ (páśave¹) पश्वे¹ (páśve¹)	पशुभ्याम् (páśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (páśubhyaḥ)
ablative	पशुनः (páśunaḥ) पशोः¹ (páśoḥ¹) पश्वः¹ (páśvaḥ¹)	पशुभ्याम् (páśubhyām)	पशुभ्यः (páśubhyaḥ)
genitive	पशुनः (páśunaḥ) पशोः¹ (páśoḥ¹) पश्वः¹ (páśvaḥ¹)	पशुनोः (páśunoḥ) पश्वोः¹ (páśvoḥ¹)	पशूनाम् (páśūnām)
locative	पशुनि (páśuni) पशौ¹ (páśau¹)	पशुनोः (páśunoḥ) पश्वोः¹ (páśvoḥ¹)	पशुषु (páśuṣu)
vocative	पशु (páśu) पशो (páśo)	पशुनी (páśunī)	पशूनि (páśūni) पशु¹ (páśu¹) पशू¹ (páśū¹)

¹Vedic

Descendants

Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀧𑀲𑀼 (pasu), 𐨤𐨭𐨂 (paśu) (Northwest)
- Gandhari: 𐨤𐨭𐨂 (paśu)
- Magadhi Prakrit:
  - Assamese: পহু (pohu), পশু (poxu)
- Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀧𑀲𑀼 (pasu)
  - Marathi: पशू (paśū)
- Paisaci Prakrit:
  - Punjabi: ਪਸੂ (pasū)
- Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀧𑀲𑀼 (pasu)
  - Hindi: पस (pas, “heifer”)
Dardic:
- Kashmiri: پۆش (poś)
Pali: pasu
- ⇒ Pali: pasuka
- → Old Kannada: ಪಸು (pasu)
  - Kannada: ಹಸು (hasu)
→ Cebuano: pasong
→ Kannada: ಪಶು (paśu)
→ Malayalam: പശു (paśu)
→ Tamil: பசு (pacu)
→ Telugu: పశువు (paśuvu)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “पशु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 611, column 2.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 108