Hindi etymology

Etymology

Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in northern India and is the official language of the Republic of India. The word "Hindi" is derived from the Persian word "Hind", which means "India".

Meaning

Hindi is the term used to refer to a group of dialects spoken in northern India, including:

  • Khari Boli (or Standard Hindi)
  • Braj Bhasha
  • Awadhi
  • Maithili
  • Bhojpuri

Origin

Hindi emerged from the Sauraseni Prakrit, a Middle Indo-Aryan language that was spoken in northern India from the 3rd century BCE to the 10th century CE.

Sauraseni Prakrit was influenced by Apabhramsa, a literary language that was used in northern India during the 6th to 13th centuries CE. Apabhramsa, in turn, was influenced by Sanskrit, the classical language of ancient India.

Over time, the various dialects of Hindi evolved from Apabhramsa and began to diverge from each other. By the 19th century, Khari Boli emerged as the standard dialect of Hindi and was promoted by British colonialists as the language of administration and education in northern India.

Official Language of India

Hindi was adopted as the official language of the Union of India in 1950, along with English. However, the official status of Hindi has been controversial, with many regional languages demanding official recognition.

Today, Hindi is spoken by over 500 million people in India, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is also the primary language of Bollywood, the Indian film industry, and is used in television, radio, and literature.

Hindi relate terms

  • Hindu

    Etymology The word Hindu is derived from the Persian word Hinduv which in turn origi

  • talisman

    Etymology Middle English talisman from Old French talisman Old French from Medieval

  • Siva

    Etymology The name Siva is derived from the Sanskrit word śiva which has several me

  • Prakrit

    Etymology The word Prakrit is derived from the Sanskrit word prakṛti which means

  • parcheesi

    Etymology The name parcheesi comes from the Hindi word pachisi which means twenty f

  • shampoo

    Etymology The word shampoo comes from the Hindi word चम्पू campū which m

  • suttee

    Etymology The word suttee comes from the Sanskrit word sati which means faithful wi

  • babu

    Etymology The word babu is derived from the Persian word bab meaning gatekeeper o

  • Sanskrit

    Etymology The word Sanskrit is derived from the Sanskrit word saṃskṛta which mea

  • booze

    Etymology The word booze is derived from the Middle Dutch word būsen meaning to d

  • kind