-आ

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ɑː/,

Etymology 1

From a merger of two sources, but in both cases from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-akas, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos:

• Inherited from Old Hindi -आ (-ā), a contraction or dialectal variant of -औ (-au), from Sauraseni Apabhramsa -औ (-au), from -𑀅𑀕 (-aga), -𑀅𑀬 (-aya) (nominative Sauraseni Prakrit -𑀅𑀕𑁄 (-ago), -𑀅𑀬𑁄 (-ayo), seen in words like 𑀔𑀼𑀮𑁆𑀮𑀬 (khullaya) and 𑀔𑀼𑀟𑁆𑀟𑀕 (khuḍḍaga)), from Ashokan Prakrit -𑀅𑀓 (-aka) (nominative -𑀅𑀓𑁄 (-ako), seen in words like 𑀔𑀼𑀤𑀓 (khudaka)), from Sanskrit -अक (-aka) (nominative -अको (-ako), -अकः (-akaḥ)), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *-akas. Doublet of -अक (-ak).
• Borrowed from Classical Persian ـه (-â), from Middle Persian -k' (-ag), from Proto-Iranian *-akah.

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) m

1. suffix found in many masculine nouns of both Indo-Aryan and Perso-Arabic origin
2. forms some nouns with agentive meaning from verbs or nouns

   ‎उचकना (ucaknā, “to jump, leap”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎उचक्का (ucakkā, “thief, pickpocket”)

   ‎रसोई (rasoī, “kitchen”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎रसोइया (rasoiyā, “chef”)

3. forms some nouns with possessive meaning

   बहु- (bahu-, “multi-”) + मंज़िल (manzil, “storey”) + -आ (-ā) → बहुमंज़िला (bahumanzilā, “multi-storey”) (lit. "having many storeys")

4. forms adjectives from nouns, showing a property

   ‎झूठ (jhūṭh, “lie”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎झूठा (jhūṭhā, “false, fake, liar”)

   ‎भूख (bhūkh, “hunger”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎भूखा (bhūkhā, “hungry, famished”)

Declension

As a noun:

An an adjective:

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Hindi -आ (-ā), -या (-yā), from Sauraseni Prakrit -𑀇𑀤𑀕 (-idaga), -𑀇𑀅𑀬 (-iaya), -𑀇𑀬𑀬 (-iyaya), from Ashokan Prakrit -𑀇𑀢 (-ita) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from Sanskrit -इत (-ita), the variant of -त (-ta) for seṭ roots commonly found in Later Sanskrit, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-tás, from Proto-Indo-European *-tós. Doublet of -इत (-it) and -त (-ta). Cognate with Punjabi -ਈਆ (-īā) and distantly English -ed.

Alternative forms

• -या (-yā) (after vowels)

Suffix

-आ • (-ā)

1. Marks the perfective participle

   ‎कह (kah, “say”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎कहा (kahā, “said”)

   ‎देख (dekh, “see”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎देखा (dekhā, “seen”)

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit -आ (-ā), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *-aH, from Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂. Distantly cognate with Latin -a.

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) f

1. forms the feminine form of the nouns

   ‎पुष्प (puṣp, “flower”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎पुष्पा (puṣpā, “flower, female given name”)

2. forms feminine form of the adjectives

   ‎हरित (harit, “green”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎हरिता (haritā, “green”)

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Classical Persian ـه (-â), from Arabic ـَة (-a).

Suffix

-आ • (-ā) f

1. forms the feminine form of some Perso-Arabic agent nouns

   ‎साहिर (sāhir, “enchanter”) + ‎-आ (-ā) → ‎साहिरा (sāhirā, “enchantress”)

Declension

Derived terms

References