पत्नी

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit पत्नी (patnī).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /pət̪.niː/,

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

पत्नी • (patnī) f (masculine पति, Urdu spelling پتنی)

1. wife

Declension

Synonyms

• बीवी (bīvī)

Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit पत्नी (patnī).

Noun

पत्नी • (patnī) f

1. wife

Synonyms

• (wife): बायको (bāyko)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pátniH (“wife, mistress”), from Proto-Indo-European *pótnih₂ (“wife”), feminine of *pótis (“husband, lord, master”). Cognate with Avestan *𐬞𐬀𐬚𐬥𐬍 (*paθnī, attested in compounds), Ancient Greek πότνια (pótnia, “lady, mistress”), a title that was given to several goddesses.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɐ́t.niː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpɐt̪.n̪iː/

Noun

पत्नी • (pátnī) stem, f (masculine पति)

1. wife
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.46.7:

     देवानां पत्नीर्उशतीरवन्तु नः प्रावन्तु नस्तुजये वाजसातये ।
     याः पार्थिवासो या अपामपि व्रते ता नो देवीः सुहवाः शर्म यच्छत ॥

     devānāṃ patnīruśatīravantu naḥ prāvantu nastujaye vājasātaye .
     yāḥ pārthivāso yā apāmapi vrate tā no devīḥ suhavāḥ śarma yacchata .

     May the Gods’ Wives aid us of their own freewill, aid us to offspring and the winning of the spoil.
     Grant us protection, O ye gracious Goddesses, ye who are on the earth or in the waters' realm.

2. female possessor, mistress, Lady
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 3.61.4:

     अव स्यूमेव चिन्वती मघोन्युषा याति स्वसरस्य पत्नी ।
     स्वर्जनन्ती सुभगा सुदंसा आन्ताद्दिवः पप्रथ आ पृथिव्याः ॥

     ava syūmeva cinvatī maghonyuṣā yāti svasarasya patnī .
     svarjanantī subhagā sudaṃsā āntāddivaḥ papratha ā pṛthivyāḥ .

     Letting her reins drop downward, Morning cometh, the wealthy Dame, the Lady of the dwelling;
     Bringing forth light, the Wonderful, the Blessed hath spread her from the bounds of earth and heaven.

Declension

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀧𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀻 (pattī)
• → Assamese: পত্নী (potni) (learned)
• → Bengali: পত্নী (potni) (learned)
• → Gujarati: પત્ની (patnī) (learned)
• → Hindustani: patnī (learned)

  Hindi: पत्नी

  Urdu: پتنی

• → Kannada: ಪತ್ನಿ (patni) (learned)
• → Malayalam: പത്നി (patni) (learned)
• → Marathi: पत्नी (patnī) (learned)
• → Nepali: पत्नी (patnī) (learned)
• → Odia: ପତ୍ନୀ (pôtni) (learned)
• → Punjabi: ਪਤਣੀ (patṇī) (learned)
• → Tamil: பத்தினி (pattiṉi) (learned)
• → Telugu: పత్ని (patni) (learned)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “पत्नी”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 582/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 74-75