प्रभु

See also: प्रभा

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्रभु (prabhu).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /pɾə.bʱuː/, [pɾɐ.bʱuː]

Noun

प्रभु • (prabhu) m

1. master, lord
2. God, god

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:भगवान

3. brother (term of address used among males)

Declension

Declension of प्रभु (masc u-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभु prabhu
oblique	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभुओं prabhuõ
vocative	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभुओ prabhuo

Proper noun

प्रभु • (prabhu) m or f by sense

1. a surname, equivalent to English Prabhu

Declension

NOTE: This term is declined masculine or feminine according to the gender of the referent.

Declension of प्रभु (masc u-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभु prabhu
oblique	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभुओं prabhuõ
vocative	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभुओ prabhuo

Declension of प्रभु (fem u-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभुएँ prabhuẽ
oblique	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभुओं prabhuõ
vocative	प्रभु prabhu	प्रभुओ prabhuo

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• प्रभू (prabhū́)

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• প্ৰভু (Assamese script)
• ᬧ᭄ᬭᬪᬸ (Balinese script)
• প্রভু (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰿𑰨𑰥𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀪𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ပြဘု (Burmese script)
• પ્રભુ (Gujarati script)
• ਪ੍ਰਭੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌭𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦿꦨꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂹𑂩𑂦𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಪ್ರಭು (Kannada script)
• ប្រភុ (Khmer script)
• ປ຺ຣຠຸ (Lao script)
• പ്രഭു (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᡵᠠᢨᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘥𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠷᠠᠪᠾᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑧠𑧈𑧅𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐨𑐸 (Newa script)
• ପ୍ରଭୁ (Odia script)
• ꢦ꣄ꢬꢩꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑇀𑆫𑆨𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖿𑖨𑖥𑖲 (Siddham script)
• ප්‍රභු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰 𑪙𑩼𑩳𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚶𑚤𑚡𑚰 (Takri script)
• ப்ரபு⁴ (Tamil script)
• ప్రభు (Telugu script)
• ปฺรภุ (Thai script)
• པྲ་བྷུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑓂𑒩𑒦𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑩇𑨫𑨡𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰHú-s, from *pro- (“forward”) + *bʰuH- (“to be”). Cognate with Latin probus (“excellent, good”), which was also used as a given name.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɾɐ.bʱú/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pɾɐ.bʱu/

Adjective

प्र॒भु • (prabhú) stem

1. good, excelling, mighty, powerful, rich, abundant
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.188.5:

     विराट् सम्राड्विभ्वीः प्रभ्वीर्बह्वीश्च भूयसीश्च याः ।
     दुरो घृतान्यक्षरन् ॥

     virāṭ samrāḍvibhvīḥ prabhvīrbahvīśca bhūyasīśca yāḥ.
     duro ghṛtānyakṣaran.

     The sovereign all-imperial Doors, wide, excellent, many and manifold,
     Have poured their streams of holy oil.

2. (with ablative) more powerful than
3. (with genitive) having power over
4. (with locative, infinitive or in compounda) able, capable, having power to
5. (with dative) a match for
6. constant, eternal

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of प्र॒भु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	प्र॒भुः (prabhúḥ)	प्र॒भू (prabhū́)	प्र॒भवः॑ (prabhávaḥ)
accusative	प्र॒भुम् (prabhúm)	प्र॒भू (prabhū́)	प्र॒भून् (prabhū́n)
instrumental	प्र॒भुणा॑ (prabhúṇā) प्र॒भ्वा¹ (prabhvā́¹)	प्र॒भुभ्या॑म् (prabhúbhyām)	प्र॒भुभिः॑ (prabhúbhiḥ)
dative	प्र॒भवे॑ (prabháve) प्र॒भ्वे¹ (prabhvé¹)	प्र॒भुभ्या॑म् (prabhúbhyām)	प्र॒भुभ्यः॑ (prabhúbhyaḥ)
ablative	प्र॒भोः (prabhóḥ) प्र॒भ्वः¹ (prabhváḥ¹)	प्र॒भुभ्या॑म् (prabhúbhyām)	प्र॒भुभ्यः॑ (prabhúbhyaḥ)
genitive	प्र॒भोः (prabhóḥ) प्र॒भ्वः¹ (prabhváḥ¹)	प्र॒भ्वोः (prabhvóḥ)	प्र॒भू॒णाम् (prabhūṇā́m)
locative	प्र॒भौ (prabháu)	प्र॒भ्वोः (prabhvóḥ)	प्र॒भुषु॑ (prabhúṣu)
vocative	प्रभो॑ (prábho)	प्रभू॑ (prábhū)	प्रभ॑वः (prábhavaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Feminine ī-stem declension of प्र॒भ्वी

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	प्र॒भ्वी (prabhvī́)	प्र॒भ्व्यौ॑ (prabhvyàu) प्र॒भ्वी¹ (prabhvī́¹)	प्र॒भ्व्यः॑ (prabhvyàḥ) प्र॒भ्वीः¹ (prabhvī́ḥ¹)
accusative	प्र॒भ्वीम् (prabhvī́m)	प्र॒भ्व्यौ॑ (prabhvyàu) प्र॒भ्वी¹ (prabhvī́¹)	प्र॒भ्वीः (prabhvī́ḥ)
instrumental	प्र॒भ्व्या (prabhvyā́)	प्र॒भ्वीभ्या॑म् (prabhvī́bhyām)	प्र॒भ्वीभिः॑ (prabhvī́bhiḥ)
dative	प्र॒भ्व्यै (prabhvyái)	प्र॒भ्वीभ्या॑म् (prabhvī́bhyām)	प्र॒भ्वीभ्यः॑ (prabhvī́bhyaḥ)
ablative	प्र॒भ्व्याः (prabhvyā́ḥ) प्र॒भ्व्यै² (prabhvyái²)	प्र॒भ्वीभ्या॑म् (prabhvī́bhyām)	प्र॒भ्वीभ्यः॑ (prabhvī́bhyaḥ)
genitive	प्र॒भ्व्याः (prabhvyā́ḥ) प्र॒भ्व्यै² (prabhvyái²)	प्र॒भ्व्योः (prabhvyóḥ)	प्र॒भ्वीणा॑म् (prabhvī́ṇām)
locative	प्र॒भ्व्याम् (prabhvyā́m)	प्र॒भ्व्योः (prabhvyóḥ)	प्र॒भ्वीषु॑ (prabhvī́ṣu)
vocative	प्रभ्वि॑ (prábhvi)	प्रभ्व्यौ॑ (prábhvyau) प्रभ्वी॑¹ (prábhvī¹)	प्रभ्व्यः॑ (prábhvyaḥ) प्रभ्वीः॑¹ (prábhvīḥ¹)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter u-stem declension of प्र॒भु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	प्र॒भु (prabhú)	प्र॒भुणी॑ (prabhúṇī)	प्र॒भूणि॑ (prabhū́ṇi) प्र॒भु¹ (prabhú¹) प्र॒भू¹ (prabhū́¹)
accusative	प्र॒भु (prabhú)	प्र॒भुणी॑ (prabhúṇī)	प्र॒भूणि॑ (prabhū́ṇi) प्र॒भु¹ (prabhú¹) प्र॒भू¹ (prabhū́¹)
instrumental	प्र॒भुणा॑ (prabhúṇā) प्र॒भ्वा¹ (prabhvā́¹)	प्र॒भुभ्या॑म् (prabhúbhyām)	प्र॒भुभिः॑ (prabhúbhiḥ)
dative	प्र॒भुणे॑ (prabhúṇe) प्र॒भवे॑ (prabháve) प्र॒भ्वे¹ (prabhvé¹)	प्र॒भुभ्या॑म् (prabhúbhyām)	प्र॒भुभ्यः॑ (prabhúbhyaḥ)
ablative	प्र॒भुणः॑ (prabhúṇaḥ) प्र॒भोः (prabhóḥ) प्र॒भ्वः¹ (prabhváḥ¹)	प्र॒भुभ्या॑म् (prabhúbhyām)	प्र॒भुभ्यः॑ (prabhúbhyaḥ)
genitive	प्र॒भुणः॑ (prabhúṇaḥ) प्र॒भोः (prabhóḥ) प्र॒भ्वः¹ (prabhváḥ¹)	प्र॒भुणोः॑ (prabhúṇoḥ) प्र॒भ्वोः (prabhvóḥ)	प्र॒भू॒णाम् (prabhūṇā́m)
locative	प्र॒भुणि॑ (prabhúṇi) प्र॒भौ (prabháu)	प्र॒भुणोः॑ (prabhúṇoḥ) प्र॒भ्वोः (prabhvóḥ)	प्र॒भुषु॑ (prabhúṣu)
vocative	प्रभु॑ (prábhu) प्रभो॑ (prábho)	प्रभु॑णी (prábhuṇī)	प्रभू॑णि (prábhūṇi) प्रभु॑¹ (prábhu¹) प्रभू॑¹ (prábhū¹)

• ¹Vedic

Noun

प्र॒भु • (prabhú) stem, m

1. master, lord, king, prince (also applied to gods)
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.83.1:

     पवित्रं ते विततं ब्रह्मणस्पते प्रभुर्गात्राणि पर्येषि विश्वतः ।

     pavitraṃ te vitataṃ brahmaṇaspate prabhurgātrāṇi paryeṣi viśvataḥ.

     Thy cleansing filter is spreas, Brahmaṇaspati: as Prince, thou enterest its limbs from every side.

2. the chief or leader of a sect

Descendants

• Pali: pabhu (“master”), pahū (“able”)
• Prakrit: 𑀧𑀪𑀼 (pabhu), 𑀧𑀳𑀼 (pahu)
  • Bengali: পহু (pohu), পভু (pobhu)
  • Maithili: पहू (pahū)
• → Bengali: প্রভু (probhu)
• → Hindi: प्रभु (prabhu)
• → Old Javanese: prabhu
  • Javanese: prabu
  • → Balinese: prabu
• → Kannada: ಪ್ರಭು (prabhu)
• → Tamil: பிரபு (pirapu)
• → Telugu: ప్రభువు (prabhuvu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “प्रभु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 635.