भी

See also: भा, भ, भू, and भृ

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀯𑀺 (vi), 𑀧𑀺 (pi), 𑀅𑀯𑀺 (avi), from Sanskrit अपि (api, “close by; also”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /bʱiː/

Particle

भी • (bhī) (Urdu spelling بھی)

1. even

   यह खाया भी जा सकता है!

   yah khāyā bhī jā saktā hai!

   It can even be eaten!

Adverb

भी • (bhī) (Urdu spelling بھی)

1. also, too

   तुम भी जाओगी? ― tum bhī jāogī? ― Will you too go?

   और वो भी दो ― aur vo bhī do ― And, also give me that.

References

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “ápi”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ভী (Assamese script)
• ᬪᬷ (Balinese script)
• ভী (Bengali script)
• 𑰥𑰱 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀪𑀻 (Brahmi script)
• ဘီ (Burmese script)
• ભી (Gujarati script)
• ਭੀ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌭𑍀 (Grantha script)
• ꦨꦷ (Javanese script)
• 𑂦𑂲 (Kaithi script)
• ಭೀ (Kannada script)
• ភី (Khmer script)
• ຠີ (Lao script)
• ഭീ (Malayalam script)
• ᢨᡳᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘥𑘲 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠾᠢᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧅𑧓 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐨𑐷 (Newa script)
• ଭୀ (Odia script)
• ꢩꢷ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆨𑆵 (Sharada script)
• 𑖥𑖱 (Siddham script)
• භී (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩳𑩑𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚡𑚯 (Takri script)
• பீ⁴ (Tamil script)
• భీ (Telugu script)
• ภี (Thai script)
• བྷཱི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒦𑒲 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨡𑨁𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- (“to fear”). Cognate with Old English bifian (whence English bive), Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬫𐬈𐬥𐬙𐬈 (bayente, “they are afraid”), Persian بیم (bim, “fear”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bʱiː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /bʱiː/

Root

भी • (bhī)

1. (parasmaipada) to fear, dread, be afraid of

   मृत्योर्बिभेषि किं बाल न स भीतं विमुञ्चति; रावणाद्बिभ्यतीं भृशम् Bk.8.7; Śi.3.45.

   mṛtyorbibheṣi kiṃ bāla na sa bhītaṃ vimuñcati; rāvaṇādbibhyatīṃ bhṛśam Bk.8.7; Śi.3.45.

   Boy, why are you afraid of death ? Death does not release this anger; he was scared of Ravana.

2. (ātmanepada) to be anxious or solicitous about

Derived terms

Primary verbal forms

• बि॒भेति॑ (bibhéti, present)
• भेष्यति (bheṣyati, future)
• भेता (bhetā, periphrastic future)
• अभै॑षीत् (ábhaiṣīt, aorist)
• अभे॑त् (ábhet, aorist)
• बि॒भाय॑ (bibhā́ya, perfect)
• बि॒भ॒यांच॑कार (bibhayā́ṃcakāra, periphrastic perfect)

Secondary forms

• भीयते (bhīyate, present passive)
• अभायि (abhāyi, aorist passive)
• भी॒षय॑ति (bhīṣáyati, causative)
• भाययति (bhāyayati, causative)
• अबीभयत् (abībhayat, causative aorist)
• बिभीषति (bibhīṣati, desiderative)

Non-finite forms

• भी॒त (bhītá, past passive participle)
• भेतुम् (bhetum, infinitive)
• भि॒यसे॑ (bhiyáse, infinitive)
• भय्य (bhayya, gerundive)
• भेय (bheya, gerundive)
• भेतव्य (bhetavya, gerundive)

Derived nominal forms

• भ॒य (bhayá)
• भि॒यसा॑न (bhiyásāna)
• भी (bhī́)
• भीति (bhīti)
• भी॒म (bhīmá)
• भी॒रु (bhīrú)
• भीष॑ण (bhī́ṣaṇa)
• भीषा (bhīṣā)
• भी॒ष्म (bhīṣmá)

Sanskrit terms belonging to the root भी (0 c, 11 e)

Terms derived from the Sanskrit root भी (12 c, 0 e)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂-der.

Proto-Indo-European *bʰéyh₂-s ~ *bʰih₂-és

Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰíHs

Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰíHs

Sanskrit भी

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰíHs, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰíHs, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéyh₂-s ~ *bʰih₂-és, from *bʰeyh₂- (“to fear”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bʱíː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /bʱiː/

Noun

भी • (bhī́) stem, f

1. fear, fright, alarm, dread

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of भी

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	भीः (bhī́ḥ)	भियौ॑ (bhíyau) भिया॑¹ (bhíyā¹)	भियः॑ (bhíyaḥ)
accusative	भिय॑म् (bhíyam)	भियौ॑ (bhíyau) भिया॑¹ (bhíyā¹)	भियः॑ (bhíyaḥ)
instrumental	भि॒या (bhiyā́)	भी॒भ्याम् (bhībhyā́m)	भी॒भिः (bhībhíḥ)
dative	भि॒ये (bhiyé) भि॒यै² (bhiyái²)	भी॒भ्याम् (bhībhyā́m)	भी॒भ्यः (bhībhyáḥ)
ablative	भि॒यः (bhiyáḥ) भि॒याः² (bhiyā́ḥ²)	भी॒भ्याम् (bhībhyā́m)	भी॒भ्यः (bhībhyáḥ)
genitive	भि॒यः (bhiyáḥ) भि॒याः² (bhiyā́ḥ²)	भि॒योः (bhiyóḥ)	भि॒याम् (bhiyā́m) भी॒नाम् (bhīnā́m)
locative	भि॒यि (bhiyí) भि॒याम्² (bhiyā́m²)	भि॒योः (bhiyóḥ)	भी॒षु (bhīṣú)
vocative	भीः (bhī́ḥ)	भियौ॑ (bhíyau) भिया॑¹ (bhíyā¹)	भियः॑ (bhíyaḥ)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Later Sanskrit

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “भी”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 758, column 1.
• William Dwight Whitney (1885), The Roots, Verb-forms, and Primary Derivatives of the Sanskrit Language, Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, pages 111-112