विधवा

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit विधवा (vidhávā). Doublet of बेवा (bevā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /ʋɪd̪ʱ.ʋɑː/, [ʋɪd̪ʱ.ʋäː]

Noun

विधवा • (vidhvā) f (male equivalent विधुर, Urdu spelling ودھوا)

1. widow (a woman whose husband has died)

Declension

Declension of विधवा (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	विधवा vidhvā	विधवाएँ vidhvāẽ
oblique	विधवा vidhvā	विधवाओं vidhvāõ
vocative	विधवा vidhvā	विधवाओ vidhvāo

References

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975), “विधवा”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. “Sea of Hindi words”] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 4486
• Caturvedi, Mahendra; Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970), “विधवा”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 706
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “विधवा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 922
• Bahri, Hardev (1989), “विधवा”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 590.

Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit विधवा (vidhavā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋid̪ʱ.ʋa/
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: विध‧वा

Noun

विधवा • (vidhvā) f (male equivalent विधुर)

1. widow

Declension

Declension of विधवा (fem ā-stem)
direct singular	विधवा vidhvā
direct plural	विधवा vidhavā
	singular एकवचन		plural अनेकवचन
nominative प्रथमा	विधवा vidhvā		विधवा vidhavā
oblique सामान्यरूप	विधवे vidhave		विधवां- vidhavān-
accusative / dative द्वितीया / चतुर्थी	विधवेला vidhavelā		विधवांना vidhavānnā
ergative	विधवेने, विधवेनं vidhavene, vidhavena		विधवांनी vidhavānnī
instrumental	विधवेशी vidhaveśī		विधवांशी vidhavānśī
locative सप्तमी	विधवेत vidhavet		विधवांत vidhavāt
vocative संबोधन	विधवे vidhave		विधवांनो vidhavānno
Oblique Note: The oblique case precedes all postpositions. There is no space between the stem and the postposition. Locative Note: -त (-ta) is a postposition.

Genitive declension of विधवा (fem ā-stem)
	masculine object पुल्लिंगी कर्म		feminine object स्त्रीलिंगी कर्म		neuter object नपुसकलिंगी कर्म		oblique सामान्यरूप
	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular* एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन
singular subject एकवचनी कर्ता	विधवेचा vidhaveċā	विधवेचे vidhaveċe	विधवेची vidhavecī	विधवेच्या vidhavecā	विधवेचे, विधवेचं vidhaveċe, vidhaveċa	विधवेची vidhavecī	विधवेच्या vidhavecā
plural subject अनेकवचनी कर्ता	विधवांचा vidhavānċā	विधवांचे vidhavānċe	विधवांची vidhavāñcī	विधवांच्या vidhavāncā	विधवांचे, विधवांचं vidhavānċe, vidhavānċa	विधवांची vidhavāñcī	विधवांच्या vidhavāñcā
* Note: Word-final ए (e) in neuter words is alternatively written with the anusvara and pronounced as अ (a). Oblique Note: For most postpostions, the oblique genitive can be optionally inserted between the stem and the postposition.

Related terms

• वैधव्य (vaidhavya, “widowhood”)

References

• Berntsen, Maxine (1982–1983), “विधवा”, in A Basic Marathi-English Dictionary, New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• ৱিধৱা (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬶᬥᬯᬵ (Balinese script)
• বিধবা (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰰𑰠𑰪𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀺𑀥𑀯𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဝိဓဝါ (Burmese script)
• વિધવા (Gujarati script)
• ਵਿਧਵਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌿𑌧𑌵𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦶꦣꦮꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂱𑂡𑂫𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ವಿಧವಾ (Kannada script)
• វិធវា (Khmer script)
• ວິຘວາ (Lao script)
• വിധവാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᡳᢡᠠᠸᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘱𑘠𑘪𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠢᢑᠾᠠᠸᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧒𑧀𑧊𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐶𑐢𑐰𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଵିଧଵା (Odia script)
• ꢮꢶꢤꢮꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆴𑆣𑆮𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖰𑖠𑖪𑖯 (Siddham script)
• විධවා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩑𑩮𑩾𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚮𑚜𑚦𑚭 (Takri script)
• வித⁴வா (Tamil script)
• విధవా (Telugu script)
• วิธวา (Thai script)
• ཝི་དྷ་ཝཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒱𑒡𑒫𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨁𑨜𑨭𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *HwidʰáwaH (“widow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂ (“widow”). Cognate with Latin vidua, Ancient Greek ἠΐθεος (ēḯtheos), Russian вдова (vdova), Old English widuwe (whence English widow).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋi.dʱɐ́.ʋɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ʋi.d̪ʱɐ.ʋɑː/

Noun

वि॒धवा॑ • (vidhávā) stem, f

1. widow; woman whose husband has died
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.40.2:

     कुह॑ स्विद् दो॒षा कुह॒ वस्तो॑र् अ॒श्विना॒ कुहा॑भिपि॒त्वं क॑रतः॒ कुहो॑षतुः ।
     को वां॑ शयु॒त्रा वि॒धवे॑व दे॒वरं॒ मर्यं॒ न योषा॑ कृणुते स॒धस्थ॒ आ ॥

     kúha svid doṣā́ kúha vástor aśvínā kúhābhipitváṃ karataḥ kúhoṣatuḥ.
     kó vāṃ śayutrā́ vidháveva deváraṃ máryaṃ ná yóṣā kṛṇute sadhástha ā́.

     O Ashvins, where are you in the evening and where are you in the morning? Where do you rest and where do you spend the night? Who brings you [homeward] like a widow brings her brother-in-law to the bed and the young lady beckons the young man to the meeting-place?

2. a country bereft of a king

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of वि॒धवा॑

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	वि॒धवा॑ (vidhávā)	वि॒धवे॑ (vidháve)	वि॒धवाः॑ (vidhávāḥ)
accusative	वि॒धवा॑म् (vidhávām)	वि॒धवे॑ (vidháve)	वि॒धवाः॑ (vidhávāḥ)
instrumental	वि॒धव॑या (vidhávayā) वि॒धवा॑¹ (vidhávā¹)	वि॒धवा॑भ्याम् (vidhávābhyām)	वि॒धवा॑भिः (vidhávābhiḥ)
dative	वि॒धवा॑यै (vidhávāyai)	वि॒धवा॑भ्याम् (vidhávābhyām)	वि॒धवा॑भ्यः (vidhávābhyaḥ)
ablative	वि॒धवा॑याः (vidhávāyāḥ) वि॒धवा॑यै² (vidhávāyai²)	वि॒धवा॑भ्याम् (vidhávābhyām)	वि॒धवा॑भ्यः (vidhávābhyaḥ)
genitive	वि॒धवा॑याः (vidhávāyāḥ) वि॒धवा॑यै² (vidhávāyai²)	वि॒धव॑योः (vidhávayoḥ)	वि॒धवा॑नाम् (vidhávānām)
locative	वि॒धवा॑याम् (vidhávāyām)	वि॒धव॑योः (vidhávayoḥ)	वि॒धवा॑सु (vidhávāsu)
vocative	विध॑वे (vídhave)	विध॑वे (vídhave)	विध॑वाः (vídhavāḥ)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Pali: vidhavā
• Magadhi Prakrit:
  • Assamese: বেঁৱা (bẽwa)
• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀯𑀺𑀳𑀯𑀸 (vihavā)
• → Hindi: विधवा (vidhvā)
• → Kannada: ವಿಧವೆ (vidhave)
• → Khmer: វិធវា (vithĕəʼviə)
• → Malayalam: വിധവ (vidhava)
• → Marathi: विधवा (vidhvā)
• → Tamil: விதவை (vitavai)
• → Telugu: విధవ (vidhava)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “विधवा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0967.