Either a borrowing from a Dravidian language (compare Proto-Dravidian *wariñci (“rice”)) or, according to Witzel, borrowed from an unknown South Asian, possibly Austroasiatic, source such as Proto-Mon-Khmer *sruʔ (“paddy rice”) (whence probably Proto-Sino-Tibetan *b-ras and Proto-Austronesian *bəʀas), with the Dravidian word being an independent borrowing of another variant.
Related words are found in Iranian, Ancient Greek and Semitic. See Middle Persian blnc for more.
व्रीहि • (vrīhí) stem, m
| Masculine i-stem declension of व्रीहि | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | व्रीहिः (vrīhiḥ) | ||
| Gen. sg. | व्रीहेः (vrīheḥ) | ||
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
| Nominative | व्रीहिः (vrīhiḥ) | व्रीही (vrīhī) | व्रीहयः (vrīhayaḥ) |
| Vocative | व्रीहे (vrīhe) | व्रीही (vrīhī) | व्रीहयः (vrīhayaḥ) |
| Accusative | व्रीहिम् (vrīhim) | व्रीही (vrīhī) | व्रीहीन् (vrīhīn) |
| Instrumental | व्रीहिणा (vrīhiṇā) | व्रीहिभ्याम् (vrīhibhyām) | व्रीहिभिः (vrīhibhiḥ) |
| Dative | व्रीहये (vrīhaye) | व्रीहिभ्याम् (vrīhibhyām) | व्रीहिभ्यः (vrīhibhyaḥ) |
| Ablative | व्रीहेः (vrīheḥ) | व्रीहिभ्याम् (vrīhibhyām) | व्रीहिभ्यः (vrīhibhyaḥ) |
| Genitive | व्रीहेः (vrīheḥ) | व्रीह्योः (vrīhyoḥ) | व्रीहीणाम् (vrīhīṇām) |
| Locative | व्रीहौ (vrīhau) | व्रीह्योः (vrīhyoḥ) | व्रीहिषु (vrīhiṣu) |