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किम् - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

किम्

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Excluding the neuter form किम् (kim) itself, inherited from Proto-Indo-Aryan *kás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kás, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷós.

Further etymology

कद् (kad), attested in the Ṛgveda, was the original neuter singular nominative-accusative, and is used in the later language as the base form of this term in compounds (for example, in कच्चन (kaccana, “in no way or manner”) from कद् (kad) +‎ चन (cana, “also not”)). Compare Latin quod.

In Classical Sanskrit, किम् (kim), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kím ~ čím, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷím, supplanted कद् (kad) as the neuter singular nominative-accusative.[1] Other vestiges of the old Indo-Iranian declinable *kím ~ čím are also seen in the indeclinables किस् (kis), चिद् (cid). Mayrhofer considers this suppletion a Prakritism or more likely an archaism, for which compare Younger Avestan 𐬗𐬌𐬨 (cim), 𐬐𐬆𐬨 (kəm).[2]

किम् • (kim)

  1. used as a particle of interrogation

    किं व्याधा वने ऽस्मिन् संचरन्ति?

    kiṃ vyādhā vane ʼsmin saṃcaranti?
    Do hunters roam about in this wood?
    किम् एषश्चषको बृहत्? ― kim eṣaścaṣako bṛhat? ― Is this cup big?

Compare the usage of Latin num or an; sometimes translatable in isolation by "whether?" but oftener serving only like a note of interrogation to mark a question.

Can be followed in this indeclinable form by a large number of other particles to shade the meaning or merely emphasize:

  • किं तर्हि (kiṃ tarhi, “how then? but, however”)
  • किं स्विद् (kiṃ svid, “why”)
  • किंच (kiṃca, “moreover, further”)
  • किंचन (kiṃcana, “a little”)
  • किंचिद् (kiṃcid, “somewhat, a little”)
  • किंतु (kiṃtu, “but”)
  • किंनु (kiṃnu, “whether, indeed?, how much more/less?”)
  • किंवा (kiṃvā, “whether”)
  • किमङ्ग (kimaṅga, “wherefore then?”)
  • किमिति (kimiti, “why”)
  • किमिव (kimiva, “what for”)
  • किमु (kimu, “how much more/less?”)
  • किमुत (kimuta, “how much more/less?”)
  • किम् पुनर् (kim punar, “how much more/less?, however, but”)

किम् • (kim)

  1. (often followed by किल (kila)) what a pity!

किम् • (kím)[3]

  1. what, who (interrogative)

    त्वम् किम् वदसि?

    tvam kim vadasi?
    What are you saying?
  2. whoever, whatever, anyone, someone (indefinite)
    1. (followed by चन (cana)) nothing, nobody, anyone, anybody (meaning dependent on context)

      यस्माद् इन्द्राद् ऋते किंचन

      yasmād indrād ṛte kiṃcana
      Without Indra there is nothing.

      कश्चन। न कश्चन

      kaścana. na kaścana
      Any one. No one.
  3. (with or without the copula अस् (as)) used to form sentences meaning "how is it possible that" or "what power(s) have I, you, they, etc"

    के मम धन्विनोऽन्ये

    ke mama dhanvinoʼnye
    What can the other archers do against me?

    के आवाम् परित्रातुम्

    ke āvām paritrātum
    What power have we to rescue you?
  4. (with a noun in the instrumental case or the gerund of a verb) expresses "what is gained by doing so?"

    किं विलम्बेन

    kiṃ vilambena
    What is gained by delay?

    धनेन किं यो न ददाति

    dhanena kiṃ yo na dadāti
    What is the use of wealth to him who does not give?

किम् • (kim)

  1. what, whose (relative)

Direct or indirect interrogative clauses introduced by किम् (kim) are often terminated by इति (iti), as in कस्य स पुत्र इति कथ्यताम् (kasya sa putra iti kathyatām, “Let it be said, 'Whose son is he?'”). Without इति (iti), किम् (kim) tends to be used as a relative determiner, as in कस्य स पुत्रो न ज्ञायते (kasya sa putro na jñāyate, “It is not known whose son he is”).

Further usage notes

किम् (kim) is often used together with a demonstrative pronoun, as in को ऽयम् आयाति (ko ʼyam āyāti, “Who comes here?”), or with the optative mood to ask about the future को हरिं निन्देत् (ko hariṃ nindet, “Who will blame Hari?”).

Repetition can sometimes be emphasizing, as in कः को ऽत्र (kaḥ ko ʼtra, “Who is there?”) or कान् कान् (kān kān, “Whom? Whom? i.e. Which of them?”). Two separate usages of the interrogative often "attract" each other to become adjacent, as in केषां किं शास्त्रम् अध्ययनीयम् (keṣāṃ kiṃ śāstram adhyayanīyam, “Which book is to be read by whom?”). Compare similar usage of यद् (yad).

किम् (kim) as an interrogative is often followed by the particles इव (iva), उ (u), नाम (nāma), नु (nu), वा (vā), or स्विद् (svid) for emphasis. As an indefinite, it can sometimes appear isolated but is more often followed by the particles च (ca), चन (cana), चिद् (cid), वा (vā), or अपि (api), in which case it may be preceded by the relative यद् (yad), as ये के च। यः कश्चिद् (ye ke ca. yaḥ kaścid, “anyone whatsoever, anyone whatsover”)

See also descendants of किंचिद् (kiṃcid).

  1. ^ Monier Williams (1899) “किम्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 282.
  2. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) “kí-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎[1] (in German), volume I, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 347
  3. ^ Monier Williams (1899) “किम्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 282.