ਠੇਠ

Punjabi

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit, from Sanskrit स्थेष्ठ (stheṣṭha). Compare Hindi ठेठ (ṭheṭh) / ٹھیٹ (ṭheṭ), Gujarati ઠેઠ (ṭheṭh) and Marathi थेट (theṭ).

Pronunciation

Adjective

ਠੇਠ • (ṭheṭh) (indeclinable, Shahmukhi spelling ٹھیٹھ)

  1. (of languages) authentic, proper, natural, pure
    ਓਹ ਠੇਠ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਦਾ ਹੈ!
    oha ṭheṭh pañjābī boldā hai!
    He speaks proper Punjabi!

Usage notes

What is considered "Theth" regarding Punjabi and other languages varies by opinion.

In the most extreme sense, it refers to language without any borrowed lexicon (often rendering it unusable).

Generally, it refers to language without recent influence from dominant languages like English and Hindustani, as some speakers who aren't well-versed in the language tend to substitute it with words from those languages.

References

  • “ਠੇਠ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2025
  • Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002) “ਠੇਠ”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat‎ (in Punjabi), Lahore: ʻAzīz Pablisharz
  • Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “sthēṣṭha”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
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