महिष

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মহিষ (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬳᬶᬱ (Balinese script)
• মহিষ (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰮𑰰𑰬 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀳𑀺𑀱 (Brahmi script)
• မဟိၑ (Burmese script)
• મહિષ (Gujarati script)
• ਮਹਿਸ਼ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑌹𑌿𑌷 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦲꦶꦰ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂯𑂱𑂭 (Kaithi script)
• ಮಹಿಷ (Kannada script)
• មហិឞ (Khmer script)
• ມຫິຩ (Lao script)
• മഹിഷ (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠠᡥᡳᢢᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘮𑘱𑘬 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠠᠾᠢᢔᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧎𑧒𑧌 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐴𑐶𑐲 (Newa script)
• ମହିଷ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢲꢶꢰ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆲𑆴𑆰 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖮𑖰𑖬 (Siddham script)
• මහිෂ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑪂𑩑𑪀 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚩𑚮 (Takri script)
• மஹிஷ (Tamil script)
• మహిష (Telugu script)
• มหิษ (Thai script)
• མ་ཧི་ཥ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒯𑒱𑒭 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨱𑨁𑨯 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂s-ó-s, from *méǵh₂s (“big, great”). See महत् (mahat) for more.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ.ɦi.ʂɐ́/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ.ɦi.ʂɐ/

Noun

महिष • (mahiṣá) stem, m

1. buffalo
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.33.1:

     प्र सोमा॑सो विप॒श्चितो॒ऽपां न य॑न्त्यू॒र्मयः॑ ।
     वना॑नि महि॒षा इ॑व ॥

     prá sómāso vipaścítoʼpā́ṃ ná yantyūrmáyaḥ.
     vánāni mahiṣā́ iva.

     The intelligent Soma juices rush along like waves of water, like buffaloes to the forests.

2. (poetic) sun
   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of महिष (mahiṣá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	महिषः mahiṣáḥ	महिषौ / महिषा¹ mahiṣaú / mahiṣā́¹	महिषाः / महिषासः¹ mahiṣā́ḥ / mahiṣā́saḥ¹
Vocative	महिष máhiṣa	महिषौ / महिषा¹ máhiṣau / máhiṣā¹	महिषाः / महिषासः¹ máhiṣāḥ / máhiṣāsaḥ¹
Accusative	महिषम् mahiṣám	महिषौ / महिषा¹ mahiṣaú / mahiṣā́¹	महिषान् mahiṣā́n
Instrumental	महिषेण mahiṣéṇa	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषैः / महिषेभिः¹ mahiṣaíḥ / mahiṣébhiḥ¹
Dative	महिषाय mahiṣā́ya	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषेभ्यः mahiṣébhyaḥ
Ablative	महिषात् mahiṣā́t	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषेभ्यः mahiṣébhyaḥ
Genitive	महिषस्य mahiṣásya	महिषयोः mahiṣáyoḥ	महिषाणाम् mahiṣā́ṇām
Locative	महिषे mahiṣé	महिषयोः mahiṣáyoḥ	महिषेषु mahiṣéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀳𑀺𑀲 (mahisa)
  • Konkani: म्हस (mhas)
  • Old Marathi: 𑘦𑘿𑘮𑘺𑘭𑘰 (mhaisā)
    • Marathi: म्हैसा (mhaisā)
• → Tamil: மகிஷம் (makiṣam), மகிடம் (makiṭam)

Adjective

महिष • (mahiṣá) stem

1. great, powerful

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of महिष (mahiṣá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	महिषः mahiṣáḥ	महिषौ / महिषा¹ mahiṣaú / mahiṣā́¹	महिषाः / महिषासः¹ mahiṣā́ḥ / mahiṣā́saḥ¹
Vocative	महिष máhiṣa	महिषौ / महिषा¹ máhiṣau / máhiṣā¹	महिषाः / महिषासः¹ máhiṣāḥ / máhiṣāsaḥ¹
Accusative	महिषम् mahiṣám	महिषौ / महिषा¹ mahiṣaú / mahiṣā́¹	महिषान् mahiṣā́n
Instrumental	महिषेण mahiṣéṇa	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषैः / महिषेभिः¹ mahiṣaíḥ / mahiṣébhiḥ¹
Dative	महिषाय mahiṣā́ya	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषेभ्यः mahiṣébhyaḥ
Ablative	महिषात् mahiṣā́t	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषेभ्यः mahiṣébhyaḥ
Genitive	महिषस्य mahiṣásya	महिषयोः mahiṣáyoḥ	महिषाणाम् mahiṣā́ṇām
Locative	महिषे mahiṣé	महिषयोः mahiṣáyoḥ	महिषेषु mahiṣéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Feminine ī-stem declension of महिषी (máhiṣī)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	महिषी máhiṣī	महिष्यौ / महिषी¹ máhiṣyau / máhiṣī¹	महिष्यः / महिषीः¹ máhiṣyaḥ / máhiṣīḥ¹
Vocative	महिषि máhiṣi	महिष्यौ / महिषी¹ máhiṣyau / máhiṣī¹	महिष्यः / महिषीः¹ máhiṣyaḥ / máhiṣīḥ¹
Accusative	महिषीम् máhiṣīm	महिष्यौ / महिषी¹ máhiṣyau / máhiṣī¹	महिषीः máhiṣīḥ
Instrumental	महिष्या máhiṣyā	महिषीभ्याम् máhiṣībhyām	महिषीभिः máhiṣībhiḥ
Dative	महिष्यै máhiṣyai	महिषीभ्याम् máhiṣībhyām	महिषीभ्यः máhiṣībhyaḥ
Ablative	महिष्याः / महिष्यै² máhiṣyāḥ / máhiṣyai²	महिषीभ्याम् máhiṣībhyām	महिषीभ्यः máhiṣībhyaḥ
Genitive	महिष्याः / महिष्यै² máhiṣyāḥ / máhiṣyai²	महिष्योः máhiṣyoḥ	महिषीणाम् máhiṣīṇām
Locative	महिष्याम् máhiṣyām	महिष्योः máhiṣyoḥ	महिषीषु máhiṣīṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter a-stem declension of महिष (mahiṣá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	महिषम् mahiṣám	महिषे mahiṣé	महिषाणि / महिषा¹ mahiṣā́ṇi / mahiṣā́¹
Vocative	महिष máhiṣa	महिषे máhiṣe	महिषाणि / महिषा¹ máhiṣāṇi / máhiṣā¹
Accusative	महिषम् mahiṣám	महिषे mahiṣé	महिषाणि / महिषा¹ mahiṣā́ṇi / mahiṣā́¹
Instrumental	महिषेण mahiṣéṇa	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषैः / महिषेभिः¹ mahiṣaíḥ / mahiṣébhiḥ¹
Dative	महिषाय mahiṣā́ya	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषेभ्यः mahiṣébhyaḥ
Ablative	महिषात् mahiṣā́t	महिषाभ्याम् mahiṣā́bhyām	महिषेभ्यः mahiṣébhyaḥ
Genitive	महिषस्य mahiṣásya	महिषयोः mahiṣáyoḥ	महिषाणाम् mahiṣā́ṇām
Locative	महिषे mahiṣé	महिषयोः mahiṣáyoḥ	महिषेषु mahiṣéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• महिषासुर (mahiṣāsura, “Buffalo Asura”)

 

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “महिष”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 803/1.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 340