पिशाच

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit पिशाच (piśāca).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /pɪ.ʃɑːt͡ʃ/, [pɪ.ʃäːt͡ʃ]

Noun

पिशाच • (piśāc) m (Urdu spelling پشاچ) (rare, formal)

1. demon, evil spirit

   Synonyms: असुर (asur), राक्षस (rākṣas)

Declension

Declension of पिशाच (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	पिशाच piśāc	पिशाच piśāc
oblique	पिशाच piśāc	पिशाचों piśācõ
vocative	पिशाच piśāc	पिशाचो piśāco

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “पिशाच”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• পিশাচ (Assamese script)
• ᬧᬶᬰᬵᬘ (Balinese script)
• পিশাচ (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰰𑰫𑰯𑰓 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑀺𑀰𑀸𑀘 (Brahmi script)
• ပိၐာစ (Burmese script)
• પિશાચ (Gujarati script)
• ਪਿਸ਼ਾਚ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑌿𑌶𑌾𑌚 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦶꦯꦴꦕ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂱𑂬𑂰𑂒 (Kaithi script)
• ಪಿಶಾಚ (Kannada script)
• បិឝាច (Khmer script)
• ປິຨາຈ (Lao script)
• പിശാച (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᡳᡧᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢜᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘱𑘫𑘰𑘓 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠢᠱᠠᢗᢋᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑧒𑧋𑧑𑦳 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑐶𑐱𑐵𑐔 (Newa script)
• ପିଶାଚ (Odia script)
• ꢦꢶꢯꢵꢗ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑆴𑆯𑆳𑆖 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖰𑖫𑖯𑖓 (Siddham script)
• පිශාච (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰𑩑𑩿𑩛𑩡 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚮𑚧𑚭𑚏 (Takri script)
• பிஶாச (Tamil script)
• పిశాచ (Telugu script)
• ปิศาจ (Thai script)
• པི་ཤཱ་ཙ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑒱𑒬𑒰𑒔 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑨁𑨮𑨊𑨣 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of disputed origin, though most theories take the first syllable as deriving from the root पिश् (piś, “to carve, prepare meat; to fashion, decorate”),:

• One theory derives the word from the root पिश् (piś), either because of the demons' fondness for meat (if taking "carve meat" as the invoked sense), or because of the fiery, will o' the wisp-like coloring of the demons (if taking "decorate" as the invoked sense).
• Another theory links the word to पिशुन (piśuna, “backbiting, treacherous”), which may be either from पिश् (piś) (as above) or from Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- (“hostile”).
• Alternatively, from a univerbation of an unattested *पिश-अश (*piśa-aśa, “flesh-eating”), from पिश् (piś) (as above) and अश् (aś, “to eat, consume”), respectively.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pi.ɕɑː.t͡ɕɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pi.ɕɑː.t͡ɕɐ/

Noun

पि॒शा॒च • (piśācá) stem, m

1. a fiend, ogre, demon, imp, malevolent or devilish being

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of पि॒शा॒च

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	पि॒शा॒चः (piśācáḥ)	पि॒शा॒चौ (piśācáu) पि॒शा॒चा¹ (piśācā́¹)	पि॒शा॒चाः (piśācā́ḥ) पि॒शा॒चासः॑¹ (piśācā́saḥ¹)
accusative	पि॒शा॒चम् (piśācám)	पि॒शा॒चौ (piśācáu) पि॒शा॒चा¹ (piśācā́¹)	पि॒शा॒चान् (piśācā́n)
instrumental	पि॒शा॒चेन॑ (piśācéna)	पि॒शा॒चाभ्या॑म् (piśācā́bhyām)	पि॒शा॒चैः (piśācáiḥ) पि॒शा॒चेभिः॑¹ (piśācébhiḥ¹)
dative	पि॒शा॒चाय॑ (piśācā́ya)	पि॒शा॒चाभ्या॑म् (piśācā́bhyām)	पि॒शा॒चेभ्यः॑ (piśācébhyaḥ)
ablative	पि॒शा॒चात् (piśācā́t)	पि॒शा॒चाभ्या॑म् (piśācā́bhyām)	पि॒शा॒चेभ्यः॑ (piśācébhyaḥ)
genitive	पि॒शा॒चस्य॑ (piśācásya)	पि॒शा॒चयोः॑ (piśācáyoḥ)	पि॒शा॒चाना॑म् (piśācā́nām)
locative	पि॒शा॒चे (piśācé)	पि॒शा॒चयोः॑ (piśācáyoḥ)	पि॒शा॒चेषु॑ (piśācéṣu)
vocative	पिशा॑च (píśāca)	पिशा॑चौ (píśācau) पिशा॑चा¹ (píśācā¹)	पिशा॑चाः (píśācāḥ) पिशा॑चासः¹ (píśācāsaḥ¹)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• Pali: pisāca
• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀧𑀺𑀲𑀸𑀅 (pisāa)
• → Hindi: पिशाच (piśāc)
• → Punjabi: ਪਿਸ਼ਾਚ (piśāc)
• → Tamil: பிசாசு (picācu)
• → Translingual: Pisacha