کشف

See also: كشف and ك ش ف

Persian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic كَشْف (kašf).

Pronunciation

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

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäʃf]

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

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæʃf]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäʃf]

Readings
Classical reading?	kašf
Dari reading?	kašf
Iranian reading?	kašf
Tajik reading?	kašf

Noun

کشف • (kašf)

1. discovery
2. disclosure, revelation, revealing
3. unveiling; removal of a veil

Derived terms

• کشف حجاب (kašf-e hejâb, “removal of the hijab”)
• کشف کردن (kašf kardan, “to discover”)

Related terms

• کاشف (kâšef)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kaćyápas

Proto-Iranian *kacyápah

Persian کَشَف

From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (kšwk' /⁠kašawag⁠/, “tortoise”), from Proto-Iranian *kacyápah. Cognate with Sanskrit कच्छप (kacchapa).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ka.ˈʃaf/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ʃáf]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ʃáf]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ʃáf]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ʃáf]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæ.ʃǽf]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ʃáf]

Readings
Classical reading?	kašaf
Dari reading?	kašaf
Iranian reading?	kašaf
Tajik reading?	kašaf

Noun

کشف • (kašaf)

1. (archaic) tortoise, turtle

   Synonym: لاک‌پشت (lâk-pošt)

2. (astrology, obsolete) Cancer

Derived terms

• کشف‌رود (kašaf-rud)

Descendants

• → Gujarati: કશફ (kaśaph)

References

• Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–), “کشف”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press.

Urdu

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Arabic كَشْف (kašf)bor.

Classical Persian کَشْف (kašf)bor.

Urdu کَشْف

Borrowed from Classical Persian کَشْف (kašf), borrowed from Arabic كَشْف (kašf). First attested in c. 1564 as Middle Hindi کشف (kśf /⁠kaśf⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kəʃf/
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): [kə.ʃəf]
• Rhymes: -əʃf

Noun

کَشْف • (kaśf) m (Hindi spelling कश्फ़)

1. divine inspiration
2. revelation, manifestation
3. (dated sense) discovery
4. (rare) unveil, unveiling

Declension

Declension of کشف

	singular	plural
direct	کَشْف (kaśf)	کَشْف (kaśf)
oblique	کَشْف (kaśf)	کَشْفوں (kaśfõ)
vocative	کَشْف (kaśf)	کَشْفو (kaśfo)

Proper noun

کَشَف • (kaśaf) f (Hindi spelling कशफ़)

1. a female given name, Kashaf, from Arabic

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kaćyápas

Proto-Iranian *kacyápah

Classical Persian کَشَف (kašaf)bor.

Urdu کَشَف

Borrowed from Classical Persian کَشَف (kašaf). Doublet of کَچْھوَا (kachvā)

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kə.ʃəf/
• Rhymes: -əf
• Hyphenation: کَ‧شَف

Noun

کَشَف • (kaśaf) m (Hindi spelling कशफ़)

1. tortoise, turtle

Declension

Declension of کشف

	singular	plural
direct	کَشَف (kaśaf)	کَشَف (kaśaf)
oblique	کَشَف (kaśaf)	کَشَفوں (kaśafõ)
vocative	کَشَف (kaśaf)	کَشَفو (kaśafo)

Further reading

• “کشف”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.
• Fallon, Platts, Qureshi, Shakespear (2024), “کشف”, in Digital Dictionaries of South Asia [Combined Urdu Dictionaries]