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ArchivesRe: meaning of anwesh
in reply to a message by anwesha
In Sanskrit, there is a root iS, with various meanings like to obtain, seek after, desire, etc., and is very old (it occurs in the Rgveda, and is etymologically related to the Englisk ask); in classical Sanskrit it is the usual way of saying to want (I want is ahamicchAmi, for example, and that icchAmi is a form of iS). The particle a'nu qualifies it with senses like going after, methodically, etc.; and the noun from this (with a feminine marker) anveSA' means search, investigation, etc.
The pronounciation in Hindi, and probably in Sanskrit, had less breath than the English -v-, so -w- is often used. This /ʋ/ is a voiced labio-dental approximant, which does not exist in standard English, but even in Hindi, one often hears allophonic variation from [v] to [w] for this. In other Indian languages, it meets various fates, e.g., in Bengali, it is pronounced almost anneshA. The S is a retroflex sibilant, which has almost disappeared in modern north Indian languages. In most places, it is equivalent to a palatal fricative today. Thus, anwesha is a pretty good approximation to its pronounciation in the Hindi belt today.
The pronounciation in Hindi, and probably in Sanskrit, had less breath than the English -v-, so -w- is often used. This /ʋ/ is a voiced labio-dental approximant, which does not exist in standard English, but even in Hindi, one often hears allophonic variation from [v] to [w] for this. In other Indian languages, it meets various fates, e.g., in Bengali, it is pronounced almost anneshA. The S is a retroflex sibilant, which has almost disappeared in modern north Indian languages. In most places, it is equivalent to a palatal fricative today. Thus, anwesha is a pretty good approximation to its pronounciation in the Hindi belt today.
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Replies
Yeah Anwesh means to search, to look after, but such names often sound incomplete to me perhaps due to the use of infinite verb. This name could more properly be anweshan, like the name aakarshan which I heard of a boy. Similarly I have heard name Aayush and Aayushi while they could be more properly Aayushman and Aaysuhmati, though this is a different case.
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Even though the subject line is about anwesh, the question semed to be about anweshA. anwesh is odd: the construction demands the feminine gender in Sanskrit. If you want parallel grammatical constructions, think of thought, cintA, desire, icchA, or work, kriYA. It was a perfectly proper and living construction, and was semantically pretty similar to the -an forms (though the -A form is ever so slightly more neutral; the -an has a hint of durative aspect in many cases). I do not hear a connotation difference between anweshA and anweshan. For a boy anwesh would not work in Sanskrit.
anweshA (the feminine) is used to mean the act of searching in Sanskrit, and is very common word in Bengali, and has often been used as names for clubs and magazines for a long time. Anecdotally, it is increasing in popularity as a female name there.
AkarSaN for attraction is the common form.
AYus (ultimately from i, to move) meaning vitality or vigour is the name of the famous mythological character who is the son of purUravas and UrvashI in the mahAbhArata, so the name is a couple of millenia old at least as a male name (originally, in the vedas, it was neuter gender, and was used as a name for asterisms, concepts, and hymns), and is a classic case of metonymy. AYuSI, the feminine, is new, I believe (I haven't checked). AYuSmAn and AYuSmatI are, of course, very old (vedic) as adjectives meaning, one who posseses life (and also in the sense of old): I can't remember Sanskrit use as names, off hand (it was a common term of benediction and affectionate appelation).
anweshA (the feminine) is used to mean the act of searching in Sanskrit, and is very common word in Bengali, and has often been used as names for clubs and magazines for a long time. Anecdotally, it is increasing in popularity as a female name there.
AkarSaN for attraction is the common form.
AYus (ultimately from i, to move) meaning vitality or vigour is the name of the famous mythological character who is the son of purUravas and UrvashI in the mahAbhArata, so the name is a couple of millenia old at least as a male name (originally, in the vedas, it was neuter gender, and was used as a name for asterisms, concepts, and hymns), and is a classic case of metonymy. AYuSI, the feminine, is new, I believe (I haven't checked). AYuSmAn and AYuSmatI are, of course, very old (vedic) as adjectives meaning, one who posseses life (and also in the sense of old): I can't remember Sanskrit use as names, off hand (it was a common term of benediction and affectionate appelation).
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Sorry kriYA is a different grammatical construction ... typing without engagig brain is not good.
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