خویش

Persian

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Persian NPŠE / 𐭭𐭯𐭱𐭤 (xwēš), from Old Persian 𐎢𐎺𐎠𐎡𐎱𐏁𐎡𐎹𐎶 (ʰuvāipašiyam), a compound from Proto-Iranian *hwaypaθyah, with the phonetic change resulting in unattested but assumed Middle Persian *xwēbš > xwēš.

The first element of the compound is akin to Old Persian [script needed] (huva), from Proto-Iranian *hwáh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *swás (reflexive pronoun), from Proto-Indo-European *swós. (compare Persian خود (xwad / xod, “self”))

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ˈxʷeːʃ/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [xeːʃ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [xeːʃ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [xeːʃ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [xeːʃ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [xiːʃ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [χeʃ]

• Rhymes: -eːʃ

Readings
Classical reading?	xwēš
Dari reading?	xēš
Iranian reading?	xiš
Tajik reading?	xeš

Pronoun

خویش • (xwēš / xiš)

1. (reflexive pronoun) oneself

   Synonym: خود (xwad / xod)

2. (emphatic) one's own

Noun

خویش • (xwēš / xiš) (Tajik spelling хеш)

1. self

Usage notes

In Modern Colloquial and Standard Persian, the term has largely been replaced by خود (xwad / xod), and is used almost exclusively in literary contexts.

Derived terms

• خویشاوند (xwēšāwand / xišâvand)
• قوم و خویش (qawm u xwēš / ġowm o xiš, “relatives, family”)

Descendants

• Dari: خْویش (xēš)
• Iranian Persian: خْویش (xīš)
• Tajik: хеш (xeš)
• → Azerbaijani: xiş
• → Bengali: খেশ (kheś), খেস (khes) — uncommon
• → Chagatai: خْویش (xwyš /⁠xwēš⁠/)
  • Uzbek: xesh
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: ख़्वेश (xveś, xweś), ख़ेश (xeś)

  Urdu: خْویش (xveś, xweś, xeś)

• → Ottoman Turkish: خْویش (hîş)
  • Turkish: hiş
• → Turkmen: hyş