See also: परशु

Sanskrit

edit

Alternative scripts

edit

Etymology

edit

    From Proto-Indo-Iranian *párćuš, from Proto-Indo-European *pérḱus. Cognate with Avestan 𐬞𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬯𐬎𐬱 (pərəsuš, rib, side), Northern Kurdish parsû (rib), Ossetian фарс (fars, side), Old Church Slavonic прьси (prĭsi, breast); see also पृष्टि (pṛṣṭi, rib).

    In the Rigveda, this word means only "rib", but it came also to mean "sickle" in the later Atharvaveda. This semantic transfer becomes clear when we take into consideration the rib-like shape of the sickle and realize that the rib of a horse was actually sharpened to produce the instrument.

    Pronunciation

    edit

    Noun

    edit

    पर्शु (párśu) stemm

    1. a rib
      • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.105.8:
        सं मा॑ तपन्त्य॒भितः॑ स॒पत्नी॑रिव॒ पर्श॑वः
        मूषो॒ न शि॒श्ना व्य॑दन्ति मा॒ध्यः॑ स्तो॒तारं॑ ते शतक्रतो वि॒त्तं मे॑ अ॒स्य रो॑दसी॥
        sáṃ mā tapantyabhítaḥ sapátnīriva párśavaḥ.
        mū́ṣo ná śiśnā́ vyadanti mādhyàḥ stotā́raṃ te śatakrato vittáṃ me asyá rodasī.
        The ribs (of the well close) round me, like the rival wives (of one husband); cares consume me, Śatakratu, although your worshipper, as a rat (gnaws a weaver's) threads.
        Heaven and earth, be conscious of this (my affliction).
    2. curved knife, sickle
      • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 12.3.31:
        प्र यच्छ पर्शुं त्वरया हरौसमहिंसन्त ओषधीर्दान्तु पर्वन् ।
        यासां सोमः परि राज्यं बभूवामन्युता नो वीरुधो भवन्तु ॥
        pra yaccha parśuṃ tvarayā harausamahiṃsanta oṣadhīrdāntu parvan.
        yāsāṃ somaḥ pari rājyaṃ babhūvāmanyutā no vīrudho bhavantu.
        Present the sickle: quickly bring it hither. Let them out plants and joints with hands that harm not.
        So may the plants be free from wrath against us, they o'er whose realm Soma hath won dominion.
    3. name of a man
    4. (in the plural) name of a warrior-tribe

    Declension

    edit
    Masculine u-stem declension of पर्शु
    singular dual plural
    nominative पर्शुः (párśuḥ) पर्शू (párśū) पर्शवः (párśavaḥ)
    accusative पर्शुम् (párśum) पर्शू (párśū) पर्शून् (párśūn)
    instrumental पर्शुना (párśunā)
    पर्श्वा¹ (párśvā¹)
    पर्शुभ्याम् (párśubhyām) पर्शुभिः (párśubhiḥ)
    dative पर्शवे (párśave) पर्शुभ्याम् (párśubhyām) पर्शुभ्यः (párśubhyaḥ)
    ablative पर्शोः (párśoḥ) पर्शुभ्याम् (párśubhyām) पर्शुभ्यः (párśubhyaḥ)
    genitive पर्शोः (párśoḥ) पर्श्वोः (párśvoḥ) पर्शूनाम् (párśūnām)
    locative पर्शौ (párśau) पर्श्वोः (párśvoḥ) पर्शुषु (párśuṣu)
    vocative पर्शो (párśo) पर्शू (párśū) पर्शवः (párśavaḥ)
    • ¹Vedic

    Derived terms

    edit
    edit

    Descendants

    edit

    Noun

    edit

    पर्शु (párśu) stemf

    1. the supporting or side wall of a well
    2. name of a woman

    Declension

    edit
    Feminine u-stem declension of पर्शु
    singular dual plural
    nominative पर्शुः (párśuḥ) पर्शू (párśū) पर्शवः (párśavaḥ)
    accusative पर्शुम् (párśum) पर्शू (párśū) पर्शूः (párśūḥ)
    instrumental पर्श्वा (párśvā) पर्शुभ्याम् (párśubhyām) पर्शुभिः (párśubhiḥ)
    dative पर्शवे (párśave)
    पर्श्वै¹ (párśvai¹)
    पर्शुभ्याम् (párśubhyām) पर्शुभ्यः (párśubhyaḥ)
    ablative पर्शोः (párśoḥ)
    पर्श्वाः¹ (párśvāḥ¹)
    पर्श्वै² (párśvai²)
    पर्शुभ्याम् (párśubhyām) पर्शुभ्यः (párśubhyaḥ)
    genitive पर्शोः (párśoḥ)
    पर्श्वाः¹ (párśvāḥ¹)
    पर्श्वै² (párśvai²)
    पर्श्वोः (párśvoḥ) पर्शूनाम् (párśūnām)
    locative पर्शौ (párśau)
    पर्श्वाम्¹ (párśvām¹)
    पर्श्वोः (párśvoḥ) पर्शुषु (párśuṣu)
    vocative पर्शो (párśo) पर्शू (párśū) पर्शवः (párśavaḥ)
    • ¹Later Sanskrit
    • ²Brāhmaṇas

    References

    edit
    • Monier Williams (1899) “पर्शु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, [], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 609/2.
    • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 100-101
    • Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “párśu”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 448