गर्भ

See also: ग्रभ् and गर्व

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit गर्भ (garbha). Doublet of गाभ (gābh, “pregnancy in animals”)

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ɡəɾbʱ/, [ɡɐɾbʱ]

Noun

गर्भ • (garbh) m (Urdu spelling گربھ)

1. womb

Declension

Declension of गर्भ (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	गर्भ garbh	गर्भ garbh
oblique	गर्भ garbh	गर्भों garbhõ
vocative	गर्भ garbh	गर्भो garbho

Derived terms

• गर्भावस्था (garbhāvasthā)
• गर्भवती (garbhavtī)
• गर्भिणी (garbhiṇī)
• गर्भनली (garbhanlī)
• गर्भपात (garbhapāt)

Related terms

• गर्भाशय (garbhāśay)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• গৰ্ভ (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬃᬪ (Balinese script)
• গর্ভ (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰨𑰿𑰥 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀭𑁆𑀪 (Brahmi script)
• ဂရ်္ဘ (Burmese script)
• ગર્ભ (Gujarati script)
• ਗਰ੍ਭ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑌰𑍍𑌭 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦂꦨ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂩𑂹𑂦 (Kaithi script)
• ಗರ್ಭ (Kannada script)
• គភ៌ (Khmer script)
• ຄຣ຺ຠ (Lao script)
• ഗര്ഭ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᠠᡵᢨᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘨𑘿𑘥 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠠᠷᠪᠾᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑧈𑧠𑧅 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐬𑑂𑐨 (Newa script)
• ଗର୍ଭ (Odia script)
• ꢔꢬ꣄ꢩ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆫𑇀𑆨 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖨𑖿𑖥 (Siddham script)
• ගර්‍භ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩼 𑪙𑩳 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚤𑚶𑚡 (Takri script)
• க³ர்ப⁴ (Tamil script)
• గర్భ (Telugu script)
• ครฺภ (Thai script)
• ག་རྦྷ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒩𑓂𑒦 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨫𑩇𑨡 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *gárbʰas, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷólbʰ-o-s, from *gʷelbʰ- (“womb”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬡𐬀 (gar^əβa), Ancient Greek δελφύς (delphús, “womb”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɐ́ɾ.bʱɐ/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɐɾ.bʱɐ/

Noun

गर्भ • (gárbha) stem, m

1. the womb
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 4.27.1:

     गर्भे॒ नु सन्नन्वे॑षामवेदम॒हं दे॒वानां॒ जनि॑मानि॒ विश्वा॑।
     श॒तं मा॒ पुर॒ आय॑सीररक्ष॒न्नध॑ श्ये॒नो ज॒वसा॒ निर॑दीयम्॥

     gárbhe nú sánnánveṣāmavedamaháṃ devā́nāṃ jánimāni víśvā.
     śatáṃ mā púra ā́yasīrarakṣannádha śyenó javásā níradīyam.

     Being still in the womb, I have known all the births of these divinities in their order; a hundred bodies of metal confined me, but as a hawk I came forth with speed.

2. fetus, embryo
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 3.29.2:

     अ॒रण्यो॒र्निहि॑तो जा॒तवे॑दा॒ गर्भ॑ इव॒ सुधि॑तो ग॒र्भिणी॑षु।
     दि॒वेदि॑व॒ ईड्यो॑ जागृ॒वद्भि॑र्ह॒विष्म॑द्भिर्मनु॒ष्ये॑भिर॒ग्निः॥

     aráṇyorníhito jātávedā gárbha iva súdhito garbhíṇīṣu.
     divédiva ī́ḍyo jāgṛvádbhirhavíṣmadbhirmanuṣyèbhiragníḥ.

     Jātavedas has been deposited in the two sticks as the embryo is deposited in pregnant women; Agni is to be adored day by day by vigilant men laden with oblations.

3. child, offspring, brood (especially of birds)
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.73.2:

     अभीवृतेव ता महापदेन ध्वान्तात्प्रपित्वादुदरन्त गर्भाः॥

     abhī́vṛteva tā́ mahāpadéna dhvāntā́tprapitvā́dúdaranta gárbhāḥ.

     As if encompassed by the Mighty-footed, from darkness, near at hand, forth came the Children.

4. the inside, middle or interior of anything
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of गर्भ (gárbha)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	गर्भः gárbhaḥ	गर्भौ / गर्भा¹ gárbhau / gárbhā¹	गर्भाः / गर्भासः¹ gárbhāḥ / gárbhāsaḥ¹
Vocative	गर्भ gárbha	गर्भौ / गर्भा¹ gárbhau / gárbhā¹	गर्भाः / गर्भासः¹ gárbhāḥ / gárbhāsaḥ¹
Accusative	गर्भम् gárbham	गर्भौ / गर्भा¹ gárbhau / gárbhā¹	गर्भान् gárbhān
Instrumental	गर्भेण gárbheṇa	गर्भाभ्याम् gárbhābhyām	गर्भैः / गर्भेभिः¹ gárbhaiḥ / gárbhebhiḥ¹
Dative	गर्भाय gárbhāya	गर्भाभ्याम् gárbhābhyām	गर्भेभ्यः gárbhebhyaḥ
Ablative	गर्भात् gárbhāt	गर्भाभ्याम् gárbhābhyām	गर्भेभ्यः gárbhebhyaḥ
Genitive	गर्भस्य gárbhasya	गर्भयोः gárbhayoḥ	गर्भाणाम् gárbhāṇām
Locative	गर्भे gárbhe	गर्भयोः gárbhayoḥ	गर्भेषु gárbheṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• गर्भिणी (garbhíṇī, “pregnant”)
• सगर्भ्य (ságarbhya, “full-blooded brother”)
• आकाशगर्भ (ākāśagarbha)

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀕𑀩𑁆𑀪 (gabbha)
  • Old Marathi: 𑘐𑘰𑘥 (gābha)
• ⇒ Maharastri Prakrit: *𑀕𑀩𑁆𑀪-𑀅 (*gabbha-a)
  • Old Marathi:

    Devanagari script: गाभा (gābhā)

    Modi script: 𑘐𑘰𑘥𑘰 (gābhā)

    • Marathi: गाभा (gābhā)
• Paisaci Prakrit:
  • Punjabi: ਗੱਭ (gabbha, “middle”)
• Pali: gabbha
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀕𑀩𑁆𑀪 (gabbha)
  • Hindi: गाभ (gābh, “pregnancy in animals”)
• → Hindi: गर्भ (garbh)
• → Kannada: ಗರ್ಭ (garbha)
• → Khmer: គភ៌ (kɔə)
• → Lao: ຄັນ (khan)
• → Malayalam: ഗർഭം (gaṟbhaṁ)
• → Tamil: கருப்பம் (karuppam)
• → Telugu: గర్భము (garbhamu)
• → Thai: ครรภ์ (kan)

References

• “ग॑भ” in Carl Cappeller, A Sanskrit–English Dictionary: Based upon the St. Petersburg Lexicons, Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, 1891, →OCLC, page 150, column 1.
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “गर्भ”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 083
• Monier Williams (1899) “गर्भ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 349, column 2.
• Horace Hayman Wilson, A dictionary in Sanscrit and English, 2nd ed., Calcutta: Education Press, Circular Road, 1832, page 284