पिशाच

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit पिशाच (piśāca).

Pronunciation

  • (Delhi) IPA(key): /pɪ.ʃɑːt͡ʃ/, [pɪ.ʃäːt͡ʃ]

Noun

पिशाच • (piśācm (Urdu spelling پشاچ) (rare, formal)

  1. demon, evil spirit
    Synonyms: असुर (asur), राक्षस (rākṣas)

Declension

Declension of पिशाच (masc cons-stem)
singular plural
direct पिशाच
piśāc
पिशाच
piśāc
oblique पिशाच
piśāc
पिशाचों
piśācõ
vocative पिशाच
piśāc
पिशाचो
piśāco

References

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Etymology

Of disputed origin, though most theories take the first syllable as deriving from the root पिश् (piś, to carve, prepare meat; to fashion, decorate),:[1]

  • One theory derives the word from the root पिश् (piś), either because of the demons' fondness for meat (if taking "carve meat" as the invoked sense),[2] or because of the fiery, will o' the wisp-like coloring of the demons (if taking "decorate" as the invoked sense).
  • Another theory links the word to पिशुन (piśuna, backbiting, treacherous), which may be either from पिश् (piś) (as above) or from Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- (hostile).
  • Alternatively, from a univerbation of an unattested *पिश-अश (*piśa-aśa, flesh-eating), from पिश् (piś) (as above) and अश् (, to eat, consume), respectively.

Pronunciation

Noun

पिशाच • (piśācá) stemm

  1. a fiend, ogre, demon, imp, malevolent or devilish being

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of पिशाच
singular dual plural
nominative पिशाचः (piśācáḥ) पिशाचौ (piśācaú)
पिशाचा¹ (piśācā́¹)
पिशाचाः (piśācā́ḥ)
पिशाचासः¹ (piśācā́saḥ¹)
accusative पिशाचम् (piśācám) पिशाचौ (piśācaú)
पिशाचा¹ (piśācā́¹)
पिशाचान् (piśācā́n)
instrumental पिशाचेन (piśācéna) पिशाचाभ्याम् (piśācā́bhyām) पिशाचैः (piśācaíḥ)
पिशाचेभिः¹ (piśācébhiḥ¹)
dative पिशाचाय (piśācā́ya) पिशाचाभ्याम् (piśācā́bhyām) पिशाचेभ्यः (piśācébhyaḥ)
ablative पिशाचात् (piśācā́t) पिशाचाभ्याम् (piśācā́bhyām) पिशाचेभ्यः (piśācébhyaḥ)
genitive पिशाचस्य (piśācásya) पिशाचयोः (piśācáyoḥ) पिशाचानाम् (piśācā́nām)
locative पिशाचे (piśācé) पिशाचयोः (piśācáyoḥ) पिशाचेषु (piśācéṣu)
vocative पिशाच (píśāca) पिशाचौ (píśācau)
पिशाचा¹ (píśācā¹)
पिशाचाः (píśācāḥ)
पिशाचासः¹ (píśācāsaḥ¹)
  • ¹Vedic

Descendants

References

  1. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “piśācá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 135
  2. ^ Monier Williams (1899) “पिशाच”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, [], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 628, column 2.
  3. ^ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “piśācá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press