पितृ

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit पितृ (pitṛ). Doublet of पिता (pitā).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /pɪt̪ɾ/

Noun

पितृ • (pitŕ) m (Urdu spelling پتر)

1. father

   Coordinate term: मातृ (mātŕ)

2. paternal ancestor

Declension

Declension of पितृ (masc r-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	पितृ pitŕ	पितृ pitŕ
oblique	पितृ pitŕ	पितृओं pitŕõ
vocative	पितृ pitŕ	पितृओ pitŕo

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• পিতৃ (Assamese script)
• ᬧᬶᬢᬺ (Balinese script)
• পিতৃ (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰰𑰝𑰴 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑀺𑀢𑀾 (Brahmi script)
• ပိတၖ (Burmese script)
• પિતૃ (Gujarati script)
• ਪਿਤ੍ਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑌿𑌤𑍃 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦶꦠꦽ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂱𑂞𑃂 (Kaithi script)
• ಪಿತೃ (Kannada script)
• បិត្ឫ (Khmer script)
• ປິຕ຺ຣິ (Lao script)
• പിതൃ (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᡳᢠᡵᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘱𑘝𑘵 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠢᢐᠷᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑧒𑦽𑧖 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑐶𑐟𑐺 (Newa script)
• ପିତୃ (Odia script)
• ꢦꢶꢡꢺ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑆴𑆠𑆸 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖰𑖝𑖴 (Siddham script)
• පිතෘ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰𑩑𑩫𑩙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚮𑚙 (Takri script)
• பித்ரி (Tamil script)
• పితృ (Telugu script)
• ปิตฺฤ (Thai script)
• པི་ཏྲྀ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑒱𑒞𑒵 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑨁𑨙𑨼𑨉 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *pHtā́ (“father”), from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr (“father”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬀𐬭 (pitar), Latin pater, Ancient Greek πᾰτήρ (pătḗr), Old Armenian հայր (hayr), Old Persian 𐎱𐎡𐎫𐎠 (p-i-t-a /⁠pitā⁠/) (whence Persian پدر (pedar)), Old English fæder (whence English father).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pi.tŕ̩/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pi.t̪r̩/

Noun

पितृ • (pitṛ́) stem, m

1. a father
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 7.55.5:

     सस्तु माता सस्तु पिता सस्तु श्वा सस्तु विश्पतिः ।
     ससन्तु सर्वे ज्ञातयः सस्त्वयमभितो जनः ॥

     sastu mātā sastu pitā sastu śvā sastu viśpatiḥ.
     sasantu sarve jñātayaḥ sastvayamabhito janaḥ.

     May the mother sleep, may the father sleep, may the dog and the village chief sleep.
     Let all the kinsmen and all the people who are round about sleep.

   Synonyms: जनितृ (janitṛ), तत (tata)

2. (in the plural) paternal ancestor; forefather
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.42.5:

     आ तत्ते॑ दस्र मन्तुमः॒
     पूष॒न्न् अवो॑ वृणीमहे ।
     येन॑ पि॒तॄन् अचो॑दयः ॥

     ā́ tátte dasra mantumaḥ
     pū́ṣann ávo vṛṇīmahe.
     yéna pitṝ́n ácodayaḥ.

     Wise Pūṣan, Wonder-Worker, we claim of thee now the aid wherewith thou furtheredst our ancestors of old.

   1. The Pitrs; spirits of the deceased ancestors venerated in the Vedic religion
      • c. 1200 BCE – 800 BCE, Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda (Taittirīya Saṃhitā) VI.1.1:

        देवमनुष्या दिशो व्यभजन्त प्राचीं देवा दक्षिणा पितरः प्रतीचीम् मनुष्या उदीचीꣳ रुद्राः । यत् प्राचीनवꣳशं करोति देवलोकम् एव तद् यजमान उपावर्तते परि श्रयति । अन्तर्हितो हि देवलोको मनुष्यलोकात् ।

        devamanuṣyā diśo vyabhajanta prācīṃ devā dakṣiṇā pitaraḥ pratīcīm manuṣyā udīcīṃ rudrāḥ. yat prācīnavaṃśaṃ karoti devalokam eva tad yajamāna upāvartate pari śrayati. antarhito hi devaloko manuṣyalokāt.

        The gods and the men divided the quarters [of the world]; the gods (obtained) the eastern, the Pitrs (obtained) the southern, men (obtained) the western, the Rudras (obtained) the northern. In that, he makes a hall with beams pointing east, the worshipper approaches the world of the gods. He covers it over, for the world of the gods is hidden from the world of men.

Declension

Masculine ṛ-stem declension of पितृ

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पिता (pitā́)	पितरौ (pitárau) पितरा¹ (pitárā¹)	पितरः (pitáraḥ)
accusative	पितरम् (pitáram)	पितरौ (pitárau) पितरा¹ (pitárā¹)	पितॄन् (pitṝ́n) पितरः (pitaraḥ)
instrumental	पित्रा (pitrā́)	पितृभ्याम् (pitṛ́bhyām)	पितृभिः (pitṛ́bhiḥ)
dative	पित्रे (pitré)	पितृभ्याम् (pitṛ́bhyām)	पितृभ्यः (pitṛ́bhyaḥ)
ablative	पितुः (pitúḥ)	पितृभ्याम् (pitṛ́bhyām)	पितृभ्यः (pitṛ́bhyaḥ)
genitive	पितुः (pitúḥ)	पित्रोः (pitróḥ)	पितॄणाम् (pitṝṇā́m)
locative	पितरि (pitári)	पित्रोः (pitróḥ)	पितृषु (pitṛ́ṣu)
vocative	पितः (pítaḥ)	पितरौ (pítarau) पितरा¹ (pítarā¹)	पितरः (pítaraḥ)

• ¹Vedic

• the nom. pl. is used also as acc. pl. in the epics

Derived terms

• पितृष्वसृ (pitṛṣvasṛ)
• पितुःष्वसृ (pituḥṣvasṛ)

Descendants

• Helu Prakrit:
  • Sinhalese: පියා (piyā)
• Magadhi Prakrit:
  • Odia: ପିଅର (piara)
• Paisaci Prakrit:
  • Punjabi:
    • Gurmukhi script: ਪਿਓ (pio)
    • Shahmukhi script: پیو (pyo)
• Sauraseni Prakrit:
  • Hindustani: piu
    • Hindi: पिउ
    • Urdu: پیو
• Pali: pitar

Borrowed terms

• → Bengali: পিতা (pita)
• → Gujarati: પિતા (pitā)
• → Hindi: पिता (pitā), पितृ (pitŕ)
• → Kannada: ಪಿತೃ (pitṛ) (learned)
• → Malayalam: പിതൃ (pitr̥) (learned)
• → Marathi: पितृ (pitru) (learned)
• → Nepali: पिता (pitā), पितृ (pitr̥)
• → Odia: ପିତୃ (pitru) (learned)
• → Punjabi: ਪਿਤਾ (pitā)
• → Old Javanese: pitā
  • > Javanese: ꦥꦶꦠ (pita) (inherited)
• → Tamil: பிதா (pitā)
• → Telugu: పిత (pita), పితృలు (pitr̥lu)
• → Thai: ปิตฤ, ปิตร (bpìt-dtrà-)
• → Urdu: پتا پتر

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “पितृ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 626, column 2.