𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit किंचिद् (kiṃcid), neuter singular of कश्चिद् (kaścid, “someone”).

Determiner

𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci)

1. any
   • c. 257 BCE, Aśoka, Major Rock Edict 1 Girnar:

     𑀇𑀥 𑀦 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 𑀚𑀻𑀯𑀁 𑀆𑀭𑀪𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀧𑀸 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀚𑀽𑀳𑀺𑀢𑀯𑁆𑀬𑀁

     idha na kiṃci jīvaṃ ārabhitpā prajūhitavyaṃ

     Here no living being must be killed and sacrificed.

Alternative forms

Attested at Girnar.

Dialectal forms of 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (“any”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
Central	Kalsi	𑀓𑀺𑀘𑀺 (kici)
Northwest	Shahbazgarhi	𐨐𐨁𐨕𐨁 (kici)
West	Girnar	𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (“any”)
𑀓𑀺𑀘𑀺 (kici) (1) 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci) (1) 𐨐𐨁𐨕𐨁 (kici) (1)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci) (see there for further descendants)

References

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

Prakrit

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci), from Sanskrit किंचिद् (kiṃcid). Outside of Romani and Sinhalese, descendants indicate a late (Proto-New Indo-Aryan) pronounciation as *𑀓𑀺𑀙𑀼 (*kichu) or *𑀓𑀙𑀼 (*kachu). Most likely, this is a univerbation of 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci), an emphatic in 𑀳𑀺 (hi), and the masculine nominative singular marker -𑀉 (-u), with spurious simplifications due to this word's commonality. On the usage of the emphatic marker in indefinite pronouns, compare Hindi कभी (kabhī, “sometimes”) from कब (kab, “when”).

See 𑀓𑁄𑀇 (koi) for more.

Determiner

𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci)

1. any

Declension

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

• Masculine Nominative Singular: 𑀓𑁄𑀇 (koi)
• Masculine Nominative Plural: 𑀓𑁂𑀇 (kei)
• Feminine Nominative Singular: 𑀓𑀸𑀇 (kāi)
• Neuter Nominative Singular: 𑀓𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀺 (kiṃci)
• Neuter Nominative Plural: 𑀓𑀸𑀡𑀺𑀇 (kāṇii)
• Masculine and Neuter Genitive Singular: 𑀓𑀲𑁆𑀲𑀇 (kassaï)

Descendants

See 𑀓𑁄𑀇 (koi) and 𑀓𑀲𑁆𑀲𑀇 (kassaï) for other descendants.

• Central Indo-Aryan:
  • Old Hindi: कछु (kachu)
    • Hindi: कुछ (kuch)
    • Urdu: کُچھ (kuch)
• Eastern Indo-Aryan:
  • Assamese: কিছু (kisu)
  • Bengali: কিছু (kichu)
  • Odia: କିଛି (kichi)
  • Sylheti: ꠇꠤꠍꠥ (kisú), ꠇꠤꠌ꠆ꠍꠥ (kiccú)
  • Maithili: किछु (kichʉ)
• Insular Indo-Aryan:
  • Sinhalese: කිසි (kisi)
• Northwestern Indo-Aryan:
  • Sindhi: ڪس (kis)
  • Lahnda: [script needed] (kijh), [script needed] (kujh)
  • Punjabi: ਕੁਝ / کجھ (kujh)
• Western Indo-Aryan:
  • Romani: hić, ić, ći
  • Old Gujarati: कांई (kāṃī) (from Prakrit 𑀓𑀸𑀡𑀺𑀇 (kāṇii, n. nom. pl.))

References

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