शिरस्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• শিৰস্ (Assamese script)
• ᬰᬶᬭᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
• শিরস্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰫𑰰𑰨𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀰𑀺𑀭𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ၐိရသ် (Burmese script)
• શિરસ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਸ਼ਿਰਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌶𑌿𑌰𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦯꦶꦫꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂬𑂱𑂩𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಶಿರಸ್ (Kannada script)
• ឝិរស៑ (Khmer script)
• ຨິຣສ຺ (Lao script)
• ശിരസ് (Malayalam script)
• ᡧᡳᡵᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
• 𑘫𑘱𑘨𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠱᠢᠷᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧋𑧒𑧈𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐱𑐶𑐬𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
• ଶିରସ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢯꢶꢬꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆯𑆴𑆫𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖫𑖰𑖨𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
• ශිරස් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩿𑩑𑩼𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚧𑚮𑚤𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
• ஶிரஸ் (Tamil script)
• శిరస్ (Telugu script)
• ศิรสฺ (Thai script)
• ཤི་ར་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒬𑒱𑒩𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨮𑨁𑨫𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂der.?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-

Proto-Indo-European *ḱŕ̥h₂-os ~ ḱŕ̥h₂-es-

Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćŕ̥Has

Sanskrit शिर॑स्

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćŕ̥Has, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱŕ̥h₂-os ~ ḱŕ̥h₂-es-, from *ḱerh₂-, possibly from *ḱer- or *-h₂. Cognate with Avestan 𐬯𐬁𐬭𐬀 (sāra), Persian سر (sar), Latin cerebrum.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɕí.ɾɐs/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɕi.ɾɐs̪/

Noun

शिर॑स् • (śíras) stem, n

1. (anatomy) head, skull
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 3.51:

     इ॒दं ह्यन्वोज॑सा सु॒तं रा॑धानां पते ।
     पिबा॒ त्व१॒॑स्य गि॑र्वणः ॥
     यस्ते॒ अनु॑ स्व॒धामस॑त्सु॒ते नि य॑च्छ त॒न्व॑म् ।
     स त्वा॑ ममत्तु सो॒म्यम् ॥
     प्र ते॑ अश्नोतु कु॒क्ष्योः प्रेन्द्र॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ शिरः॑ ।
     प्र बा॒हू शू॑र॒ राध॑से ॥

     idáṃ hyánvójasā sutáṃ rādhānāṃ pate.
     píbā tvàsyá girvaṇaḥ.
     yáste ánu svadhā́másatsuté ní yaccha tanvàm.
     sá tvā mamattu somyám.
     prá te aśnotu kukṣyóḥ préndra bráhmaṇā śíraḥ.
     prá bāhū́ śūra rā́dhase.

     So, Lord of affluent gifts, this juice hath been pressed for thee with strength.
     Drink of it, thou who lovest song.
     Incline thy body to this juice which suits thy Godlike nature well.
     May it cheer thee who lovest it.
     Let it work through both thy flanks, and through thy head by prayer
     And through thine arms, O brave Indra, to prosper us.

2. the upper end or highest part of anything, top, peak, summit, pinnacle, acme
3. the forepart or van (of an army)
4. the beginning (of a verse)
5. the head, leader, chief, foremost, first (of a class)

Declension

Neuter as-stem declension of शिर॑स्

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	शिरः॑ (śíraḥ)	शिर॑सी (śírasī)	शिरां॑सि (śírāṃsi)
accusative	शिरः॑ (śíraḥ)	शिर॑सी (śírasī)	शिरां॑सि (śírāṃsi)
instrumental	शिर॑सा (śírasā)	शिरो॑भ्याम् (śírobhyām)	शिरो॑भिः (śírobhiḥ)
dative	शिर॑से (śírase)	शिरो॑भ्याम् (śírobhyām)	शिरो॑भ्यः (śírobhyaḥ)
ablative	शिर॑सः (śírasaḥ)	शिरो॑भ्याम् (śírobhyām)	शिरो॑भ्यः (śírobhyaḥ)
genitive	शिर॑सः (śírasaḥ)	शिर॑सोः (śírasoḥ)	शिर॑साम् (śírasām)
locative	शिर॑सि (śírasi)	शिर॑सोः (śírasoḥ)	शिरः॑सु (śíraḥsu)
vocative	शिरः॑ (śíraḥ)	शिर॑सी (śírasī)	शिरां॑सि (śírāṃsi)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kashmiric:
    • Kashmiri: [script needed] (hīrü)
  • Pashayi:
    • Northwest Pashayi: [script needed] (šīr)
    • Southeast Pashayi: شِیر (šīr)
• Pali: siras
• Prakrit: 𑀲𑀺𑀭 (sira) (see there for further descendants)

Borrowed terms

• → Telugu: శిరస్సు (śirassu), శిరసు (śirasu)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “शिरस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1072, column 2.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “śíras”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 721