-आ

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɑː/, [äː]

From a merger of a few sources, but in all cases from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-kas, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos:

• Inherited from Old Hindi -आ (-ā), from older -औ (-au), from Apabhramsa -अउ m (-aü, nominative), from Prakrit -𑀅𑀑 (-ao), -𑀅𑀬𑁄 (-ayo), -𑀅𑀕𑁄 m (-ago, nominative), from Sanskrit -अकः ~ -अको m (-akaḥ ~ -ako, agentive suffix, variant nominative forms based on sandhi).^[1] Doublet of -अक (-ak).
• From historic a-stems extended by Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from Sanskrit -क (-ka). Doublet of -क (-ka).
• Borrowed from Classical Persian ـه (-â), from Middle Persian -k' (-ag), from Proto-Iranian *-akah.

-आ • (-ā) m

1. suffix found in many masculine nouns of both Indo-Aryan and Perso-Arabic origin
2. forms some nouns with agentive meaning from verbs or nouns

   ‎उचकना (ucaknā, “to jump, leap”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎उचक्का (ucakkā, “thief, pickpocket”)

   ‎रसोई (rasoī, “kitchen”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎रसोइया (rasoiyā, “chef”)

3. forms some nouns with possessive meaning

   बहु- (bahu-, “multi-”) + मंज़िल (manzil, “storey”) + -आ (-ā) → बहुमंज़िला (bahumanzilā, “multi-storey”) (lit. "having many storeys")

4. forms adjectives from nouns, showing a property

   ‎झूठ (jhūṭh, “lie”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎झूठा (jhūṭhā, “false, fake, liar”)

   ‎भूख (bhūkh, “hunger”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎भूखा (bhūkhā, “hungry, famished”)

As a noun:

An an adjective:

Inherited from Old Hindi -आ m (-ā) ~ -ई f (-ī), leveled (when not after vowels) from older -या m (-yā) / -यौ (-yau) ~ -ई f (-ī), from Apabhramsa -इअउ m (-iaü) ~ -ईअ f (-īa, nominative), from Prakrit -इअ m (-ia) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-).^[2] See there for more. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-tós. The -y- which surfaces when this suffix occurs after a vowel is a reflex of -i- in -इअ (-ia).

Doublet of -इत (-it) and -त (-ta). Cognate with Punjabi -ਈਆ (-īā) and distantly English -ed.

• -या (-yā) (after vowels)

-आ • (-ā)

2. Marks the perfective participle

   ‎कह (kah, “say”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎कहा (kahā, “said”)

   ‎देख (dekh, “see”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎देखा (dekhā, “seen”)

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit -आ (-ā), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-aH, from Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂.^[3] Distantly cognate with Latin -a.

-आ • (-ā) f

1. forms the feminine form of the nouns

   ‎पुष्प (puṣp, “flower”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎पुष्पा (puṣpā, “flower, female given name”)

2. forms feminine form of the adjectives

   ‎हरित (harit, “green”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎हरिता (haritā, “green”)

Borrowed from Classical Persian ـه (-â), from Arabic ـَة (-a).

-आ • (-ā) f

1. forms the feminine form of some Perso-Arabic agent nouns

   ‎साहिर (sāhir, “enchanter”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎साहिरा (sāhirā, “enchantress”)

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *-aH, from Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂.^[1] Cognate with Ancient Greek -η (-ē) and Latin -a.

-आ • (-ā) f

1. feminine of -अ (-a)