बिन्दु

See also: बन्दी and बन्द

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• bindu (Latin script)
• 𑀩𑀺𑀦𑁆𑀤𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• বিন্দু (Bengali script)
• බින්‍දු (Sinhalese script)
• ဗိန္ဒု or ၿိၼ္ၻု or ၿိၼ်ၻု (Burmese script)
• พินฺทุ or พินทุ (Thai script)
• ᨻᩥᨶ᩠ᨴᩩ (Tai Tham script)
• ພິນ຺ທຸ or ພິນທຸ (Lao script)
• ពិន្ទុ (Khmer script)
• 𑄝𑄨𑄚𑄴𑄘𑄪 (Chakma script)

Noun

बिन्दु n

1. Devanagari script form of bindu

Declension

Declension table of "बिन्दु" (neuter)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	बिन्दु (bindu)	बिन्दूनि (bindūni) or बिन्दू (bindū)
Accusative (second)	बिन्दुं (binduṃ)	बिन्दूनि (bindūni) or बिन्दू (bindū)
Instrumental (third)	बिन्दुना (bindunā)	बिन्दूहि (bindūhi) or बिन्दूभि (bindūbhi)
Dative (fourth)	बिन्दुस्स (bindussa) or बिन्दुनो (binduno)	बिन्दूनं (bindūnaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	बिन्दुस्मा (bindusmā) or बिन्दुम्हा (bindumhā)	बिन्दूहि (bindūhi) or बिन्दूभि (bindūbhi)
Genitive (sixth)	बिन्दुस्स (bindussa) or बिन्दुनो (binduno)	बिन्दूनं (bindūnaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	बिन्दुस्मिं (bindusmiṃ) or बिन्दुम्हि (bindumhi)	बिन्दूसु (bindūsu)
Vocative (calling)	बिन्दु (bindu)	बिन्दूनि (bindūni) or बिन्दू (bindū)

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• विन्दु (vindu) — later variant

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• বিন্দু (Assamese script)
• ᬩᬶᬦ᭄ᬤᬸ (Balinese script)
• বিন্দু (Bengali script)
• 𑰤𑰰𑰡𑰿𑰟𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀩𑀺𑀦𑁆𑀤𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ဗိန္ဒု (Burmese script)
• બિન્દુ (Gujarati script)
• ਬਿਨ੍ਦੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌬𑌿𑌨𑍍𑌦𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦧꦶꦤ꧀ꦢꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂥𑂱𑂢𑂹𑂠𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಬಿನ್ದು (Kannada script)
• ពិន្ទុ (Khmer script)
• ພິນ຺ທຸ (Lao script)
• ബിന്ദു (Malayalam script)
• ᠪᡳᠨᡩᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘤𑘱𑘡𑘿𑘟𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠢᠨᢑᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧄𑧒𑧁𑧠𑦿𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐧𑐶𑐣𑑂𑐡𑐸 (Newa script)
• ବିନ୍ଦୁ (Odia script)
• ꢨꢶꢥ꣄ꢣꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆧𑆴𑆤𑇀𑆢𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖤𑖰𑖡𑖿𑖟𑖲 (Siddham script)
• බින්‍දු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩲𑩑𑩯 𑪙𑩭𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚠𑚮𑚝𑚶𑚛𑚰 (Takri script)
• பி³ந்து³ (Tamil script)
• బిన్దు (Telugu script)
• พินฺทุ (Thai script)
• བི་ནྡུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒥𑒱𑒢𑓂𑒠𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨠𑨁𑨝𑩇𑨛𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Aryan *bindúṣ, of uncertain further origin. Per Turner, it is likely a substrate borrowing related to उण्डुक (uṇḍuka, “network”), इन्दु (indu, “drop”), इण्ड्व (iṇḍva, “(two) mats”), वीटा (vīṭā, “stick used in tipcat”), वृन्त (vṛnta, “stalk”) and विटप (viṭapa, “tree”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bin.dú/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /bin̪.d̪u/

Noun

बिन्दु • (bindú) stem, m (once n)

1. a detached particle, drop, globule, dot, spot
2. (with हिरण्यय (hiraṇyaya)) a pearl
3. a drop of water taken as a measure
4. a spot or mark of coloured paint on the body of an elephant
5. (grammar, lexicography) (at the end of a compound also बिन्दुक (binduka)) the dot over a letter representing the anusvara (supposed to be connected with शिव (śiva) and of great mystical importance)
6. a zero or cypher (in manuscripts put over an erased word to show that it ought not to be erased = "stet")
7. a particular mark like a dot made in cauterizing
8. a mark made by the teeth of a lover on the lips of his mistress
9. a coloured mark made on the forehead between the eyebrows
10. (in dramatic language) the sudden development of a secondary incident (which, like a drop of oil in water, expands and furnishes an important element in the plot)
11. name of a man g. बिदादि (bidā-di)
12. name of an आङ्गिरस (āṅgirasa) (author of RV. 8.83 and 9.30)
13. name of the author of a रसपद्धति (rasa-paddhati)
14. (in the plural) name of a warrior tribe g. दामन्यादि (dāmany-ādi)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of बिन्दु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	बिन्दुः (bindúḥ)	बिन्दू (bindū́)	बिन्दवः (bindávaḥ)
accusative	बिन्दुम् (bindúm)	बिन्दू (bindū́)	बिन्दून् (bindū́n)
instrumental	बिन्दुना (bindúnā) बिन्द्वा¹ (bindvā́¹)	बिन्दुभ्याम् (bindúbhyām)	बिन्दुभिः (bindúbhiḥ)
dative	बिन्दवे (bindáve)	बिन्दुभ्याम् (bindúbhyām)	बिन्दुभ्यः (bindúbhyaḥ)
ablative	बिन्दोः (bindóḥ)	बिन्दुभ्याम् (bindúbhyām)	बिन्दुभ्यः (bindúbhyaḥ)
genitive	बिन्दोः (bindóḥ)	बिन्द्वोः (bindvóḥ)	बिन्दूनाम् (bindūnā́m)
locative	बिन्दौ (bindaú)	बिन्द्वोः (bindvóḥ)	बिन्दुषु (bindúṣu)
vocative	बिन्दो (bíndo)	बिन्दू (bíndū)	बिन्दवः (bíndavaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Neuter u-stem declension of बिन्दु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	बिन्दु (bindú)	बिन्दुनी (bindúnī)	बिन्दूनि (bindū́ni) बिन्दु¹ (bindú¹) बिन्दू¹ (bindū́¹)
accusative	बिन्दु (bindú)	बिन्दुनी (bindúnī)	बिन्दूनि (bindū́ni) बिन्दु¹ (bindú¹) बिन्दू¹ (bindū́¹)
instrumental	बिन्दुना (bindúnā) बिन्द्वा¹ (bindvā́¹)	बिन्दुभ्याम् (bindúbhyām)	बिन्दुभिः (bindúbhiḥ)
dative	बिन्दुने (bindúne) बिन्दवे¹ (bindáve¹)	बिन्दुभ्याम् (bindúbhyām)	बिन्दुभ्यः (bindúbhyaḥ)
ablative	बिन्दुनः (bindúnaḥ) बिन्दोः¹ (bindóḥ¹)	बिन्दुभ्याम् (bindúbhyām)	बिन्दुभ्यः (bindúbhyaḥ)
genitive	बिन्दुनः (bindúnaḥ) बिन्दोः¹ (bindóḥ¹)	बिन्दुनोः (bindúnoḥ) बिन्द्वोः¹ (bindvóḥ¹)	बिन्दूनाम् (bindūnā́m)
locative	बिन्दुनि (bindúni) बिन्दौ¹ (bindaú¹)	बिन्दुनोः (bindúnoḥ) बिन्द्वोः¹ (bindvóḥ¹)	बिन्दुषु (bindúṣu)
vocative	बिन्दु (bíndu) बिन्दो (bíndo)	बिन्दुनी (bíndunī)	बिन्दूनि (bíndūni) बिन्दु¹ (bíndu¹) बिन्दू¹ (bíndū¹)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• चन्द्रबिन्दु (candrabindu)
• बिन्दुसार (bindusāra)

Descendants

• → Assamese: বিন্দু (bindu)
• → Bengali: বিন্দু (bindu)
• → Hindi: बिन्दु (bindu), बिंदु (bindu)
• → Old Javanese: windu
  • Javanese: ꦮꦶꦤ꧀ꦢꦸ (windu, “a period of eight (Javanese) years”)
    • → Indonesian: windu (“eight years”)
  • → Balinese: ᬯᬶᬦ᭄ᬤᬸ (windu, “zero; dot, period, point”)
• → Malayalam: ബിന്ദു (bindu)
• → Odia: ବିନ୍ଦୁ (bindu)
• → Punjabi: ਬਿੰਦੂ (bindū)
• Pali: bindu
  • Burmese: ဗိန္ဒု (bindu.)
• → Tamil: பிந்து (pintu)
• → Telugu: బిందువు (binduvu)
• → Thai: พินทุ (pin-tú)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “बिन्दु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 731, column 2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “bindú-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 224-225
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “bindú”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 522