کیش

See also: كيس and گیس

Brahui

Etymology

Cognate with Tamil சீ (cī, “pus”), Kannada ಕೀ (kī, “to become pus”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

کِیش (kīś)

1. pus, snot

Further reading

• Burrow, T.; Emeneau, M. B. (1984), “1606”, in A Dravidian etymological dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

Persian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle Persian 𐭪𐭩𐭱 (kyš /⁠kēš⁠/, “faith; dogma”).

Pronunciation

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

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰeːʃ]

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

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲiːʃ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰeʃ]

Readings
Classical reading?	kēš
Dari reading?	kēš
Iranian reading?	kiš
Tajik reading?	keš

Noun

کیش • (kêš)

1. religion
   • 1932, محمد اقبال [Muhammad Iqbāl], “Zinda Rud Departs from Paradise: the Houris' request”, in Arthur J. Arberry, transl., جاویدنامه [Jāvīdnāma, Book of Eternity]‎^[1]:

     کیش ما مانند موج تیز گام
     اختیار جادہ و ترک مقام

     kēš-i mā mānand-i mawj-i tēz gām
     ixtiyār-i jāda u tark-i maqām

     Our creed, like the swift-paced wave:
     abandon the halting-place, choose the highway.

     (Indo-Persian script)

2. cult

Synonyms

• دین (din)

Descendants

• → Urdu: کیش (kēš)

Etymology 2

Presumably onomatopoeic, used to scare off chickens, gaining the meaning of "go away, run" and then being used in chess to literally, “(king) go away”, referring how the king has to make a move to survive.

Alternative forms

• کش (keš)

Noun

کیش • (kiš)

1. (chess) check

Derived terms

• کیش‌مات (kēš-māt / kiš-mât, “checkmate”)

Etymology 3

Proper noun

کیش • (kiš)

1. Kish Island, an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf

Urdu

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /keːʃ/

Etymology 1

From Classical Persian کیش (kēš, “religion”).

Noun

کیش • (keš) m (Hindi spelling केश)

1. religion, faith; belief

   Synonyms: دین (dīn), ایمان (īmān)

2. quality, nature

Derived terms

• اِرادَت کیش (irādat-kēš, “devoted”)
• بَد کیش (bad-kēš, “evil-natured”)
• جفا کیش (jafā-kēš, “disloyal”)
• سِتَم کیش (sitam-kēš, “oppressor”)
• صَداقَت کیش (sadāqat-kēš, “truthful”)
• صَفا کیش (safā-kēš, “pious”)
• ظُلْم کیش (zulm-kēš, “tyrant”)
• عَقیدَت کیش ('aqīdat-kēš, “devoted”)
• مُرَوَّت کیش (muravvat-kēš, “generous”)
• نِیاز کیش (nīyāz-kēš, “obedient”)
• وَفا کیش (vafā-kēš, “faithful”)

Etymology 2

From Sanskrit केश (keśa).

Noun

کیش • (keś) m (Hindi spelling केश)

1. hair

   Synonyms: گیسو (gēsū), بال (bāl)

References

• “کیش”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971), “کیش”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.
• “کیش”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.