मृत्यु

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit मृत्यु (mṛtyu).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /mɾɪt̪.juː/

Noun

मृत्यु • (mrityu) f (Urdu spelling مرتیو‎)

1. death

   Synonym: मौत (maut)

   यह रोगी मृत्यु के द्वार पर है।

   yah rogī mrityu ke dvār par hai.

   This patient is on the verge of death.

   जीवन और मृत्यु का प्रश्न है।

   jīvan aur mrityu kā praśna hai.

   It is a question of life and death.

2. personification of Yama, the God of death

Declension

Declension of मृत्यु (fem u-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	मृत्यु mrityu	मृत्युएँ mrityuẽ
oblique	मृत्यु mrityu	मृत्युओं mrityuõ
vocative	मृत्यु mrityu	मृत्युओ mrityuo

Derived terms

• इच्छामृत्यु (icchāmrityu)
• मृत्युदंड (mrityudaṇḍ)

Further reading

• Bahri, Hardev (1989), “मृत्यु”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ᬫᬺᬢ᭄ᬬᬸ (Balinese script)
• মৃত্যু (Assamese script)
• মৃত্যু (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰴𑰝𑰿𑰧𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀾𑀢𑁆𑀬𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• 𑌮𑍃𑌤𑍍𑌯𑍁 (Grantha script)
• મૃત્યુ (Gujarati script)
• ਮ੍ਹਤੑਯੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• ꦩꦽꦠꦾꦸ (Javanese script)
• ម្ឫត្យុ (Khmer script)
• ಮೃತ್ಯು (Kannada script)
• ມ຺ຣິຕ຺ຍຸ (Lao script)
• മൃത്യു (Malayalam script)
• 𑘦𑘵𑘝𑘿𑘧𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠷᠢᢐᠶ᠋ᠤ (Mongolian script)
• ᠮᡵᡳᢠᠶᡠ (Manchu script)
• မၖတျု (Burmese script)
• 𑧆𑧖𑦽𑧠𑧇𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐺𑐟𑑂𑐫𑐸 (Newa script)
• ମୃତ୍ଯୁ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢺꢡ꣄ꢫꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆸𑆠𑇀𑆪𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖴𑖝𑖿𑖧𑖲 (Siddham script)
• මෘත්යු (Sinhalese script)
• ம்ரித்யு (Tamil script)
• మృత్యు (Telugu script)
• มฺฤตฺยุ (Thai script)
• མྲྀ་ཏྱུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒵𑒞𑓂𑒨𑒳 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *mr̥tyúš (“death”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to die”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬚𐬌𐬌𐬎‎ (mər^əθiiu), Old Persian 𐎶𐎼𐏁𐎡𐎹 (m-r-š-i-y /⁠məršiyu⁠/), Lithuanian mirtis, Latin mors.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mr̩t.jú/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmr̩t̪.ju/

Noun

मृत्यु • (mṛtyú) root form, m or f

1. death, dying
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 7.59.12:

     त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्।
     उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर् मुक्षीय मामृतात्॥

     tryámbakaṃ yajāmahe sugándhiṃ puṣṭivárdhanam. urvārukámiva bándhanān mṛtyór mukṣīya mā́mṛtāt.

     Tryambaka we worship, sweet augmenter of prosperity.
     As from its stem the cucumber, so may I be released from death, not reft of immortality.

2. death personified, the god of death, identified with Yama
   • c. 700 BCE, Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
3. (astrology) name of the 8th house
4. (astrology) name of the 17th yoga

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of मृत्यु (mṛtyú)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मृत्युः mṛtyúḥ	मृत्यू mṛtyū́	मृत्यवः mṛtyávaḥ
Vocative	मृत्यो mṛ́tyo	मृत्यू mṛ́tyū	मृत्यवः mṛ́tyavaḥ
Accusative	मृत्युम् mṛtyúm	मृत्यू mṛtyū́	मृत्यून् mṛtyū́n
Instrumental	मृत्युना / मृत्य्वा¹ mṛtyúnā / mṛtyvā̀¹	मृत्युभ्याम् mṛtyúbhyām	मृत्युभिः mṛtyúbhiḥ
Dative	मृत्यवे / मृत्य्वे² mṛtyáve / mṛtyvè²	मृत्युभ्याम् mṛtyúbhyām	मृत्युभ्यः mṛtyúbhyaḥ
Ablative	मृत्योः / मृत्य्वः² mṛtyóḥ / mṛtyvàḥ²	मृत्युभ्याम् mṛtyúbhyām	मृत्युभ्यः mṛtyúbhyaḥ
Genitive	मृत्योः / मृत्य्वः² mṛtyóḥ / mṛtyvàḥ²	मृत्य्वोः mṛtyvóḥ	मृत्यूनाम् mṛtyūnā́m
Locative	मृत्यौ mṛtyaú	मृत्य्वोः mṛtyvóḥ	मृत्युषु mṛtyúṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Less common

Feminine u-stem declension of मृत्यु (mṛtyú)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मृत्युः mṛtyúḥ	मृत्यू mṛtyū́	मृत्यवः mṛtyávaḥ
Vocative	मृत्यो mṛ́tyo	मृत्यू mṛ́tyū	मृत्यवः mṛ́tyavaḥ
Accusative	मृत्युम् mṛtyúm	मृत्यू mṛtyū́	मृत्यूः mṛtyū́ḥ
Instrumental	मृत्य्वा mṛtyvā̀	मृत्युभ्याम् mṛtyúbhyām	मृत्युभिः mṛtyúbhiḥ
Dative	मृत्यवे / मृत्य्वे¹ / मृत्य्वै² mṛtyáve / mṛtyvè¹ / mṛtyvaì²	मृत्युभ्याम् mṛtyúbhyām	मृत्युभ्यः mṛtyúbhyaḥ
Ablative	मृत्योः / मृत्य्वाः² mṛtyóḥ / mṛtyvā̀ḥ²	मृत्युभ्याम् mṛtyúbhyām	मृत्युभ्यः mṛtyúbhyaḥ
Genitive	मृत्योः / मृत्य्वाः² mṛtyóḥ / mṛtyvā̀ḥ²	मृत्य्वोः mṛtyvóḥ	मृत्यूनाम् mṛtyūnā́m
Locative	मृत्यौ / मृत्य्वाम्² mṛtyaú / mṛtyvā̀m²	मृत्य्वोः mṛtyvóḥ	मृत्युषु mṛtyúṣu
Notes	¹Less common ²Later Sanskrit

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀫𑀘𑁆𑀘𑀼 (maccu)
• Pali: maccu
• Sauraseni Prakrit:
  • Hindi: मीच (mīc)
• → Assamese: মৃত্যু (mriittu)
• → Bengali: মৃত্যু (mrittu)
• → Gujarati: મૃત્યુ (mṛtyu)
• → Hindi: मृत्यु (mrityu)
• → Kannada: ಮೃತ್ಯು (mṛtyu)
• → Khmer: ម្រឹត្យ (mrɨtyɔɔ)
• → Javanese: mreti (kawi class)
• → Thai: มฤตยู (má-rʉ́t-dtà-yuu)
• → Marathi: मृत्यु (mrutyu)
• → Tamil: மிருத்தியு (miruttiyu)
• → Telugu: మృత్యువు (mr̥tyuvu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “मृत्यु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0827.