बाहु

See also: बाँह, बांह, बहू, बहु, and बिहा

Pali

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• bāhu (Latin script)
• 𑀩𑀸𑀳𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• বাহু (Bengali script)
• බාහු (Sinhalese script)
• ဗာဟု or ၿႃႁု (Burmese script)
• พาหุ (Thai script)
• ᨻᩣᩉᩩ or ᨻᩤᩉᩩ (Tai Tham script)
• ພາຫຸ (Lao script)
• ពាហុ (Khmer script)
• 𑄝𑄂𑄦𑄪 (Chakma script)

Alternative forms

• बाहा (bāhā)

Etymology 1

Noun

बाहु m

1. Devanagari script form of bāhu (“arm”)

Declension

Declension table of "बाहु" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	बाहु (bāhu)	बाहवो (bāhavo) or बाहू (bāhū)
Accusative (second)	बाहुं (bāhuṃ)	बाहवो (bāhavo) or बाहू (bāhū)
Instrumental (third)	बाहुना (bāhunā)	बाहूहि (bāhūhi) or बाहूभि (bāhūbhi)
Dative (fourth)	बाहुस्स (bāhussa) or बाहुनो (bāhuno)	बाहूनं (bāhūnaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	बाहुस्मा (bāhusmā) or बाहुम्हा (bāhumhā)	बाहूहि (bāhūhi) or बाहूभि (bāhūbhi)
Genitive (sixth)	बाहुस्स (bāhussa) or बाहुनो (bāhuno)	बाहूनं (bāhūnaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	बाहुस्मिं (bāhusmiṃ) or बाहुम्हि (bāhumhi)	बाहूसु (bāhūsu)
Vocative (calling)	बाहु (bāhu)	बाहवे (bāhave) or बाहवो (bāhavo)

Etymology 2

Adjective

बाहु (bāhu)

1. Devanagari script form of bāhu, which is combining form of बहु (bahu, “many”)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• বাহু (Assamese script)
• ᬩᬵᬳᬸ (Balinese script)
• বাহু (Bengali script)
• 𑰤𑰯𑰮𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀩𑀸𑀳𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ဗာဟု (Burmese script)
• બાહુ (Gujarati script)
• ਬਾਹੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌬𑌾𑌹𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦧꦴꦲꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂥𑂰𑂯𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಬಾಹು (Kannada script)
• ពាហុ (Khmer script)
• ພາຫຸ (Lao script)
• ബാഹു (Malayalam script)
• ᠪᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡥᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘤𑘰𑘮𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠠᢗᠾᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧄𑧑𑧎𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐧𑐵𑐴𑐸 (Newa script)
• ବାହୁ (Odia script)
• ꢨꢵꢲꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆧𑆳𑆲𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖤𑖯𑖮𑖲 (Siddham script)
• බාහු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩲𑩛𑪂𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚠𑚭𑚩𑚰 (Takri script)
• ப³ாஹு (Tamil script)
• బాహు (Telugu script)
• พาหุ (Thai script)
• བཱ་ཧུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒥𑒰𑒯𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨠𑨊𑨱𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bɑː.ɦú/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑː.ɦu/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰaHȷ́ʰúš (“arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵʰús (“arm”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬠𐬁𐬰𐬎 (bāzu), Old Persian 𐎲𐎠𐏀𐎢 (b-a-z-u /⁠bāzu⁠/), (whence Persian بازو (bâzu)), Ancient Greek πῆχυς (pêkhus, “forearm”), Old English bōg (whence English bough).

Noun

बाहु • (bāhú) stem, m

1. the arm, (especially) the fore-arm, the arm between the elbow and the wrist
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 3.51.12:

     प्र ते॑ अश्नोतु कु॒क्ष्योः प्रेन्द्र॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ शिर॑:। प्र बा॒हू शू॑र॒ राध॑से॥

     prá te aśnotu kukṣyóḥ préndra bráhmaṇā śíra:. prá bāhū́ śūra rā́dhase.

     May this libation, Indra, penetrate to your flanks; may it, (aided) by prayer, reach your head; may it spread, hero, through your arms, (that they may distribute) wealth.

2. the arm as a measure of length (= 12 अङ्गुलs)
3. the fore-foot of an animal (especially its upper part)
4. the limb of a bow
5. the bar of a chariot-pole
6. the post (of a door; » द्वार-ब्°)
7. (geometry) the side of an angular figure, (especially) the base of a right-angled triangle
8. the shadow of the gnomon on a sun-dial

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of बाहु (bāhú)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	बाहुः bāhúḥ	बाहू bāhū́	बाहवः bāhávaḥ
Vocative	बाहो bā́ho	बाहू bā́hū	बाहवः bā́havaḥ
Accusative	बाहुम् bāhúm	बाहू bāhū́	बाहून् bāhū́n
Instrumental	बाहुना / बाह्वा¹ bāhúnā / bāhvā́¹	बाहुभ्याम् bāhúbhyām	बाहुभिः bāhúbhiḥ
Dative	बाहवे / बाह्वे¹ bāháve / bāhvé¹	बाहुभ्याम् bāhúbhyām	बाहुभ्यः bāhúbhyaḥ
Ablative	बाहोः / बाह्वः¹ bāhóḥ / bāhváḥ¹	बाहुभ्याम् bāhúbhyām	बाहुभ्यः bāhúbhyaḥ
Genitive	बाहोः / बाह्वः¹ bāhóḥ / bāhváḥ¹	बाह्वोः bāhvóḥ	बाहूनाम् bāhūnā́m
Locative	बाहौ bāhaú	बाह्वोः bāhvóḥ	बाहुषु bāhúṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kashmiri: बाऊ (bāū)
• Magadhi Prakrit:
  • Assamese: বাহু (bahu)
  • Bengali: বাহু (bahu)
• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀩𑀸𑀳𑀼 (bāhu)
• Pali: bāhu
  • → Thai: พาหุ (paa-hù)
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀩𑀸𑀳 (bāha)
  • Gujarati: બાંય (bā̃ya)
  • Hindi: बाँह (bā̃h)
  • Urdu: بان٘ہہ (bāṉh)
  • Punjabi: ਬਾਂਹ (bā̃h)
  • Romani: baj (“sleeve”)
• → Malay: bahu

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Probably the same as Etymology 1.”)

Noun

बाहु • (bāhu) stem, m

1. name of a दैत्य (daitya, “demon”)
2. name of a prince (who brought ruin upon his family by his illegal actions)
3. name of a son of वृक (vṛka, “Vrika”)
4. name of a son of वज्र (vajra, “Vajra”)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “बाहु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 730/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 223-4