स्थूल

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit स्थूल (sthūla).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /st̪ʰuːl/

Adjective

स्थूल • (sthūl) (indeclinable)

1. bulky, large, fat

   Synonym: मोटा (moṭā)

2. thick, dense

   Synonyms: घना (ghanā), गाढ़ा (gāṛhā)

3. (philosophy) tangible, outwardly-visible

   Antonym: सूक्ष्म (sūkṣma)

   स्थूल सत्य ― sthūl satya ― tangible truth

4. gross, rough, approximate

   स्थूल आय ― sthūl āy ― gross income

   स्थूल रूप से ― sthūl rūp se ― roughly, approximately

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “स्थूल”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 1046
• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “स्थूल”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 682.

Sanskrit

FWOTD – 25 September 2024

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• স্থূল (Assamese script)
• ᬲ᭄ᬣᬹᬮ (Balinese script)
• স্থূল (Bengali script)
• 𑰭𑰿𑰞𑰳𑰩 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀲𑁆𑀣𑀽𑀮 (Brahmi script)
• သ္ထူလ (Burmese script)
• સ્થૂલ (Gujarati script)
• ਸ੍ਥੂਲ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌸𑍍𑌥𑍂𑌲 (Grantha script)
• ꦱ꧀ꦡꦹꦭ (Javanese script)
• 𑂮𑂹𑂟𑂴𑂪 (Kaithi script)
• ಸ್ಥೂಲ (Kannada script)
• ស្ថូល (Khmer script)
• ສ຺ຖູລ (Lao script)
• സ്ഥൂല (Malayalam script)
• ᠰᡨᡠᡠᠯᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘭𑘿𑘞𑘴𑘩 (Modi script)
• ᠰᠲᠤᠤᠯᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧍𑧠𑦾𑧕𑧉 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐳𑑂𑐠𑐹𑐮 (Newa script)
• ସ୍ଥୂଲ (Odia script)
• ꢱ꣄ꢢꢹꢭ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆱𑇀𑆡𑆷𑆬 (Sharada script)
• 𑖭𑖿𑖞𑖳𑖩 (Siddham script)
• ස‍්ථූල (Sinhalese script)
• 𑪁 𑪙𑩬𑩒𑩛𑩽 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚨𑚶𑚚𑚱𑚥 (Takri script)
• ஸ்தூ²ல (Tamil script)
• స్థూల (Telugu script)
• สฺถูล (Thai script)
• སྠཱུ་ལ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒮𑓂𑒟𑒴𑒪 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨰𑩇𑨚𑨃𑨊𑨬 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Variant of स्थूर (sthūrá); see there for more. The Sanskrit root is स्था (sthā, “to stand, to be firm”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /stʰuː.lɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /s̪t̪ʰuː.l̪ɐ/

Adjective

स्थूल • (sthūlá) stem

1. large, stout, bulky, fat
   • c. 500 BCE – 100 BCE, Rāmāyaṇa 3.68.32:

     रामो ऽथ सहसौमित्रिर् वनं गत्वा स वीर्यवान् ।
     स्थूलान् हत्वा महारोहीन् अनु तस्तार तं द्विजम् ॥

     rāmo ʼtha sahasaumitrir vanaṃ gatvā sa vīryavān.
     sthūlān hatvā mahārohīn anu tastāra taṃ dvijam.

     Thus Rāma, the powerful one, after going into forest along with Laksmana, hunted a fat big deer, and then he spread the bird Jaṭāyu [to make an offering to him].

   • Rasaratnākara 7.1:

     वीर्यं स्थिरं योनिमुखेषु येषां स्थूलं दृढं दीर्घतमं च लिङ्गम् ।
     तेषां प्रगल्भाः प्रमदाश् च सर्वा भवन्ति तृप्ताः सुरतप्रसङ्गे ॥

     vīryaṃ sthiraṃ yonimukheṣu yeṣāṃ sthūlaṃ dṛḍhaṃ dīrghatamaṃ ca liṅgam.
     teṣāṃ pragalbhāḥ pramadāś ca sarvā bhavanti tṛptāḥ surataprasaṅge.

     The seed of the ones with a strong, stout and long penis reaches the mouth of the womb.
     All proud and wanton females are satisfied with them during copulation.

2. dense, thick

   Synonym: गाढ (gāḍha)

   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 11.8.28:

     आस्तेयीश्च वास्तेयीश्च त्वरणाः कृपणाश्च याः ।
     गुह्याः शुक्रा स्थूला अपस्ता बीभत्सावसादयन् ॥

     āsteyīśca vāsteyīśca tvaraṇāḥ kṛpaṇāśca yāḥ.
     guhyāḥ śukrā sthūlā apastā bībhatsāvasādayan.

     They laid in the abhorrent frame those waters hidden, bright, and thick,
     Which in the bowels spring from blood, from mourning or from hasty toil.

3. dull, stupid, ignorant
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
4. gross, rough, approximate

   यथास्थूलम् ― yathāsthūlam ― roughly

5. (philosophy) tangible, outwardly-visible

   Antonym: सूक्ष्म (sūkṣma)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of स्थूल

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	स्थूलः (sthūláḥ)	स्थूलौ (sthūlaú) स्थूला¹ (sthūlā́¹)	स्थूलाः (sthūlā́ḥ) स्थूलासः¹ (sthūlā́saḥ¹)
accusative	स्थूलम् (sthūlám)	स्थूलौ (sthūlaú) स्थूला¹ (sthūlā́¹)	स्थूलान् (sthūlā́n)
instrumental	स्थूलेन (sthūléna)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलैः (sthūlaíḥ) स्थूलेभिः¹ (sthūlébhiḥ¹)
dative	स्थूलाय (sthūlā́ya)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलेभ्यः (sthūlébhyaḥ)
ablative	स्थूलात् (sthūlā́t)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलेभ्यः (sthūlébhyaḥ)
genitive	स्थूलस्य (sthūlásya)	स्थूलयोः (sthūláyoḥ)	स्थूलानाम् (sthūlā́nām)
locative	स्थूले (sthūlé)	स्थूलयोः (sthūláyoḥ)	स्थूलेषु (sthūléṣu)
vocative	स्थूल (sthū́la)	स्थूलौ (sthū́lau) स्थूला¹ (sthū́lā¹)	स्थूलाः (sthū́lāḥ) स्थूलासः¹ (sthū́lāsaḥ¹)

• ¹Vedic

Feminine ā-stem declension of स्थूला

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	स्थूला (sthūlā́)	स्थूले (sthūlé)	स्थूलाः (sthūlā́ḥ)
accusative	स्थूलाम् (sthūlā́m)	स्थूले (sthūlé)	स्थूलाः (sthūlā́ḥ)
instrumental	स्थूलया (sthūláyā) स्थूला¹ (sthūlā́¹)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलाभिः (sthūlā́bhiḥ)
dative	स्थूलायै (sthūlā́yai)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलाभ्यः (sthūlā́bhyaḥ)
ablative	स्थूलायाः (sthūlā́yāḥ) स्थूलायै² (sthūlā́yai²)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलाभ्यः (sthūlā́bhyaḥ)
genitive	स्थूलायाः (sthūlā́yāḥ) स्थूलायै² (sthūlā́yai²)	स्थूलयोः (sthūláyoḥ)	स्थूलानाम् (sthūlā́nām)
locative	स्थूलायाम् (sthūlā́yām)	स्थूलयोः (sthūláyoḥ)	स्थूलासु (sthūlā́su)
vocative	स्थूले (sthū́le)	स्थूले (sthū́le)	स्थूलाः (sthū́lāḥ)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter a-stem declension of स्थूल

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	स्थूलम् (sthūlám)	स्थूले (sthūlé)	स्थूलानि (sthūlā́ni) स्थूला¹ (sthūlā́¹)
accusative	स्थूलम् (sthūlám)	स्थूले (sthūlé)	स्थूलानि (sthūlā́ni) स्थूला¹ (sthūlā́¹)
instrumental	स्थूलेन (sthūléna)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलैः (sthūlaíḥ) स्थूलेभिः¹ (sthūlébhiḥ¹)
dative	स्थूलाय (sthūlā́ya)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलेभ्यः (sthūlébhyaḥ)
ablative	स्थूलात् (sthūlā́t)	स्थूलाभ्याम् (sthūlā́bhyām)	स्थूलेभ्यः (sthūlébhyaḥ)
genitive	स्थूलस्य (sthūlásya)	स्थूलयोः (sthūláyoḥ)	स्थूलानाम् (sthūlā́nām)
locative	स्थूले (sthūlé)	स्थूलयोः (sthūláyoḥ)	स्थूलेषु (sthūléṣu)
vocative	स्थूल (sthū́la)	स्थूले (sthū́le)	स्थूलानि (sthū́lāni) स्थूला¹ (sthū́lā¹)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Khowar: تھُول (thūl, “fat”)
• Pali: thūla, thulla
• Prakrit: 𑀣𑀽𑀮 (thūla), 𑀣𑀼𑀮𑁆𑀮 (thulla)
  • Sindhi: ٿُلهو (thulho, “fat, thick”)
• → Punjabi: ਸਥੂਲ (sathūl) (learned)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “स्थूल”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1266.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “sthūla”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “स्थूल”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 1724
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “स्थूल”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 366
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “sthūlá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 795