ऋतु

See also: ऋत and ऋतू

Hindi

Alternative forms

• रितु (ritu)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit ऋतु (ṛtú). Doublet of रुत (rut) and रितु (ritu), a tadbhava.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /ɾɪ.t̪uː/

Noun

ऋतु • (ŕtu) f (Urdu spelling رتو)

1. season

   Synonyms: मौसम (mausam), रुत (rut)

   पपीहा वर्षा ऋतु में सदा गाता है।

   papīhā varṣā ŕtu mẽ sadā gātā hai.

   The cuckoo always sings during the rainy season.

   भारत में छह ऋतुएँ होती हैं।

   bhārat mẽ chah ŕtuẽ hotī ha͠i.

   There are six seasons in India.

2. a particular measure of time (= 2 māsas), equalling 60 days

Declension

Declension of ऋतु (fem u-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	ऋतु ŕtu	ऋतुएँ ŕtuẽ
oblique	ऋतु ŕtu	ऋतुओं ŕtuõ
vocative	ऋतु ŕtu	ऋतुओ ŕtuo

Proper noun

ऋतु • (ŕtu) f

1. a female given name, Ritu, from Sanskrit

Declension

Declension of ऋतु (sg-only fem u-stem)

	singular
direct	ऋतु ŕtu
oblique	ऋतु ŕtu
vocative	ऋतु ŕtu

See also

Seasons in Hindi · ऋतु (ŕtu) (layout · text) · category
वसन्त (vasant, “spring”) बसन्त (basant, “spring”) बहार (bahār, “spring”)	ग्रीष्म (grīṣma, “summer”) गर्मी (garmī, “summer”) घर्म (gharm, “summer”)	शरत् (śarat, “fall; autumn”) शरद् (śarad, “fall; autumn”) पतझड़ (patjhaṛ, “fall; autumn”)	शीत (śīt, “winter”) सर्दी (sardī, “winter”) शिशिर (śiśir, “winter”)

units of time: समय के मात्रक (samay ke mātrak)edit

• सहस्राब्दी (sahasrābdī)
• शताब्दी (śatābdī), शती (śatī)
• दशक (daśak)
• वर्ष (varṣ), साल (sāl), बरस (baras)
• अयन (ayan)
• ऋतु (ŕtu)
• मास (mās), महीना (mahīnā)
• पखवाड़ा (pakhvāṛā), पक्ष (pakṣ)
• सप्ताह (saptāh), हफ़्ता (haftā)
• दिन (din), दिवस (divas), तिथि (tithi)
• पहर (pahar)
• घंटा (ghaṇṭā)
• मुहूर्त (muhūrt)
• घटी (ghaṭī)
• मिनट (minaṭ)
• पल (pal)
• सैकंड (saikaṇḍ)

References

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975), “ऋतु”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. “Sea of Hindi words”] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 663
• Caturvedi, Mahendra; Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970), “ऋतु”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 100
• Bahri, Hardev (1989), “ऋतु”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 76.
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “ऋतु”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 139

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ঋতু (Assamese script)
• ᬋᬢᬸ (Balinese script)
• ঋতু (Bengali script)
• 𑰆𑰝𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀋𑀢𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ၒတု (Burmese script)
• ઋતુ (Gujarati script)
• ਰਤੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌋𑌤𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦉꦠꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂩𑂱𑂞𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಋತು (Kannada script)
• ឫតុ (Khmer script)
• ຣິຕຸ (Lao script)
• ഋതു (Malayalam script)
• ᡵᡳᢠᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘆𑘝𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠷᠢᢐᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦦𑦽𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐆𑐟𑐸 (Newa script)
• ଋତୁ (Odia script)
• ꢈꢡꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆉𑆠𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖆𑖝𑖲 (Siddham script)
• ඍතු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩐𑩙𑩫𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚙𑚰 (Takri script)
• ரிது (Tamil script)
• ఋతు (Telugu script)
• ฤตุ (Thai script)
• རྀ་ཏུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒇𑒞𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨫𑨉𑨙𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hr̥túš (“fixed period of time, season”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂r̥-tú-s, from *h₂er- (“to fit, fix”).

Cognate with Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬙𐬎 (ratu, “period of time”), Ancient Greek ἀρτύς (artús, “bond”), Old Armenian արդ (ard), Latin artus (“joint”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /r̩.tú/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /r̩.t̪u/

Noun

ऋ॒तु • (ṛtú) stem, m

1. any settled point of time, fixed time, time appointed for any action (especially for sacrifices and other regular worship), right or fit time
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda
2. an epoch, period (especially a division or part of the year), season
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 4.53.7:

     आग॑न्दे॒व ऋ॒तुभि॒र्वर्ध॑तु॒ क्षयं॒ दधा॑तु नः सवि॒ता सु॑प्र॒जामिष॑म्।
     स नः॑ क्ष॒पाभि॒रह॑भिश्च जिन्वतु प्र॒जाव॑न्तं र॒यिम॒स्मे समि॑न्वतु॥

     ā́gandevá ṛtúbhirvárdhatu kṣáyaṃ dádhātu naḥ savitā́ suprajā́míṣam.
     sá naḥ kṣapā́bhiráhabhiśca jinvatu prajā́vantaṃ rayímasmé sáminvatu.

     With the year's seasons hath Savitar, God, come nigh: may he prosper our home, give food and noble sons.
     May he invigorate us through the days and nights, and may he send us opulence with progeny.

3. fixed order, order, rule
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda
4. the menstrual discharge (in women), the time after the courses (favourable for procreation; according to Bhāvaprakāśa sixteen days after their appearance)
5. sexual union at the above time

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of ऋ॒तु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ऋ॒तुः (ṛtúḥ)	ऋ॒तू (ṛtū́)	ऋ॒तवः॑ (ṛtávaḥ)
accusative	ऋ॒तुम् (ṛtúm)	ऋ॒तू (ṛtū́)	ऋ॒तून् (ṛtū́n)
instrumental	ऋ॒तुना॑ (ṛtúnā) ऋ॒त्वा¹ (ṛtvā́¹)	ऋ॒तुभ्या॑म् (ṛtúbhyām)	ऋ॒तुभिः॑ (ṛtúbhiḥ)
dative	ऋ॒तवे॑ (ṛtáve) ऋ॒त्वे¹ (ṛtvé¹)	ऋ॒तुभ्या॑म् (ṛtúbhyām)	ऋ॒तुभ्यः॑ (ṛtúbhyaḥ)
ablative	ऋ॒तोः (ṛtóḥ) ऋ॒त्वः¹ (ṛtváḥ¹)	ऋ॒तुभ्या॑म् (ṛtúbhyām)	ऋ॒तुभ्यः॑ (ṛtúbhyaḥ)
genitive	ऋ॒तोः (ṛtóḥ) ऋ॒त्वः¹ (ṛtváḥ¹)	ऋ॒त्वोः (ṛtvóḥ)	ऋ॒तू॒नाम् (ṛtūnā́m)
locative	ऋ॒तौ (ṛtáu)	ऋ॒त्वोः (ṛtvóḥ)	ऋ॒तुषु॑ (ṛtúṣu)
vocative	ऋतो॑ (ṛ́to)	ऋतू॑ (ṛ́tū)	ऋत॑वः (ṛ́tavaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• आर्तव (ārtavá)
• ऋतुथा (ṛtuthā́)
• ऋत्विय (ṛtvíya)
• ऋत्व्य (ṛ́tvya)

Related terms

• ऋत्विज् (ṛtvíj)

Descendants

• Pali: utu
• Prakrit:
  • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀉𑀉 (uu)
  • Paisaci Prakrit:
    • Punjabi:

      Gurmukhi script: ਰੁੱਤ (rutta)

      Shahmukhi script: رُتّ (rutt)

  • Sauraseni Prakrit:
    • Hindustani:

      Hindi: रुत (rut)

      Urdu: رُت (rut)

Borrowed terms

• → Assamese: ঋতু (ritu)
• → Bengali: ঋতু (ritu)
• → Gujarati: ઋતુ (ŕtu)
• → Hindi: ऋतु (ŕtu), रितु (ritu)
• → Khmer: រដូវ (rɔdəw)
• → Lao: ລະດູ (la dū)
• → Marathi: ऋतू (ŕtū), रुतू (rutū)
• → Old Marathi: 𑘨𑘳𑘝𑘳 (rutu)
• → Odia: ଋତୁ (rutu)
• → Sinhalese: ඍතුව (r̥tuwa)
• → Telugu: ఋతువు (r̥tuvu)
• → Thai: ฤดู (rʉ́-duu)
• → Urdu: رتو (ritu)

See also

Seasons in Sanskrit · ऋतवः (ṛtavaḥ) (layout · text) · category
कुसुमाकर (kusumākara, “spring”)	ग्रीष्म (grīṣma, “summer”)	शरद् (śarad, “autumn”)	हिम (hima, “winter”)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “ऋतु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 224, column 1.