भीख

See also: भाखा, भीखों, भीखें, भूख, भूखा, भूखी, and भूखे

Hindi

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g-

Sanskrit भज् (bhaj)

Sanskrit भिक्ष् (bhikṣ)

Sanskrit -आ (-ā)

Sanskrit भि॒क्षा (bhikṣā́)

Prakrit 𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀸 (bhikkhā)

Hindi भीख (bhīkh)

Inherited from Prakrit 𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀸 (bhikkhā), from Sanskrit भि॒क्षा (bhikṣā́), from भिक्ष् (bhikṣ) + -आ (-ā). Doublet of भिक्षा (bhikṣā).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /bʱiːkʰ/

Noun

भीख • (bhīkh) f (Urdu spelling بھیک)

1. begging, alms

   Synonym: भिक्षा (bhikṣā)

   भीख माँगना ― bhīkh māṅgnā ― to beg for alms

   • 1880 – 1936, Premchand, संग्राम :

     अब तो भिखारी को भीख देना भी लोगों को अखरता है।

     ab to bhikhārī ko bhīkh denā bhī logõ ko akhartā hai.

     Now even giving alms to a beggar feels bad to people.

   • 2021, 9789354583148, सफर आसां न था [saphar āsā̃ na thā, The journey was not easy], Pencil, →ISBN, page 72:

     राजनीति का बना अखाड़ा, घर अबला की चीखों का,
     फिर से मौसम सा बन आया, वोटबैंक की भीखों का।

     rājnīti kā banā akhāṛā, ghar ablā kī cīkhõ kā,
     phir se mausam sā ban āyā, voṭba͠ik kī bhīkhõ kā.

     Became the arena of politics, the house of the screams of the woman;
     again it became the season of beggings of vote bank.

Declension

Declension of भीख (fem cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	भीख bhīkh	भीखें bhīkhẽ
oblique	भीख bhīkh	भीखों bhīkhõ
vocative	भीख bhīkh	भीखो bhīkho

Further reading

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “भीख”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 768
• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “भीख”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 482.
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “भीख”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 3661
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “भीख”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 554
• Platts, John T. (1884) “भीख”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 200
• “भीख”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.