कु-

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit कु- (ku-).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /kuː/

Prefix

कु- • (ku-)

1. mal-, ill-, mis-; prefix for nouns that are bad, useless, or defective

   Synonym: बद- (bad-)

   ‎कु- (ku-) + ‎कर्म (karm, “deed”) → ‎कुकर्म (kukarm, “misdeed”)

Usage notes

This prefix is typically applied to Sanskrit loanwords. It is often opposed to the prefix सु- (su-, “well-”).

Derived terms

Hindi terms prefixed with कु-

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “कु-”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Etymology

According to Monier-Williams, of the same origin as कू (kū, “where”) as in कुत्र (kutra), ultimately formed from the interrogative pronoun stem *kʷ- as in *kʷos, *kʷis.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ku/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ku/

Prefix

कु- • (ku-)

1. mal-, ill-, mis-; a prefix implying deterioration, depreciation, deficiency, want, littleness, hindrance, reproach, contempt, guilt

   ‎कु- (ku-) + ‎ख्याति (khyāti, “repute”) → ‎कुख्याति (kukhyāti, “ill-repute”)

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms prefixed with कु-

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “कु-”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 285.