बभ्रु

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bɐbʱ.ɾú/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈbɐbʱ.ɾu/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *bʰebʰrús (“brown”). See Etymology 2 for more.

Adjective

बभ्रु • (babhrú) stem

1. deep brown, reddish brown, tawny
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.63.4:

     एते असृग्रमाशवोऽति ह्वरांसि बभ्रवः।
     सोमा ऋतस्य धारया॥

     eté asṛgramāśávó’ti hvárāṃsi babhrávaḥ.
     sómā ṛtásya dhā́rayā.

     These Somas swift and brown of hue, in stream of solemn sacrifice
     Have flowed through twisted obstacles.

Declension

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰábʰruš (“beaver, mongoose”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰébʰrus (“beaver”), a nominal derivative of the adjective *bʰebʰrús (“brown”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬡𐬭𐬀 (baβra), Latin fiber, Old English befer (whence English beaver).

Noun

बभ्रु • (babhru) stem, m

1. a ichneumon, mongoose
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata

Declension

Descendants

• Pali: babbu (“cat”)
• → Telugu: బభ్రువు (babhruvu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “बभ्रु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 721/3.