# Urdu-Hindi-Punjabi: Khushwant/xushvant



## Qureshpor

What is the etymology of the word "Khushwant" as in "Khushwant Singh"? Does it have any Persian connections?


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## marrish

My suggestion is that xush does obviously have Persian connections . As far as the suffix -vant is concerned, it occures in other names: Kulwant, Balwant, Gulwant, Rajwant. I believe this is a Sanskrit suffix, but there is a book whose title says: ''The suffixes mant and vant: in Sanskrit and Avestan.'' <--- Persian connection!


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## Qureshpor

marrish said:


> My suggestion is that xush does obviously have Persian connections . As far as the suffix -vant is concerned, it occures in other names: Kulwant, Balwant, Gulwant, Rajwant. I believe this is a Sanskrit suffix, but there is a book whose title says: ''The suffixes mant and vant: in Sanskrit and Avestan.'' <--- Persian connection!



Thank you marrish SaaHib.

I know "vant" is equivalent to "vaalaa" as in bal-vant (taaqat vaalaa) {possessing strength). So, it appears that this is a compound of the Persian xush + the Indic vant.  xush was originally xvash and meant "good". xush-vant could therefore mean "possessing good" (?).


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## marrish

QURESHPOR said:


> Thank you marrish SaaHib.
> 
> I know "vant" is equivalent to "vaalaa" as in bal-vant (taaqat vaalaa) {possessing strength). So, it appears that this is a compound of the Persian xush + the Indic vant.  xush was originally xvash and meant "good". xush-vant could therefore mean "possessing good" (?).




You are most welcome, Qureshpor SaaHib.

I agree that it appears to be a compound of Persian _xush_ + the suffix _-vant_, and since you say that _xush_ once would mean ''good'' (and it happily continues to do so, as a prefix forming compound nouns till date!), one thought came to my mind that this name might be following the pattern of *guNRvant *गुणवंत, which I'd say is a synonymous name!

You discussed the noun guNR under the following thread:

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2337691


I'd go for translating it as Virtuous? Possessing virtues?


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## BP.

I read the name wrong each time I read it till the day I read it in an English paper, if you know what I mean!


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## Qureshpor

BelligerentPacifist said:


> I read the name wrong each time I read it till the day I read it in an English paper, if you know what I mean!


I presume you mean "xushuunat"? 

I wonder if Urdu and Hindi speakers can think of any other words where the first part is an adjective like "xush" forming a compound with "-vant". In bal-vant, "bal" is a noun.


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## Chhaatr

From my side - "sukhvant" and "yashvant".


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## Wolverine9

Yes, it's Perisan _xush _plus Sanskrit _-vant_.  The Persian cognate is -_vand_.  There is also the similar _-vaan_, which is used in both Sanskrit and Persian compounds.


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## jakubisek

Wolverine9 said:


> Sanskrit _-vant_. (...) There is also the similar _-vaan_, which is used in both Sanskrit (...).



In Sanskrit, -vaan and -vant are not two different suffixes, it is one and the same (-vant would be the stem, from which other case endings are formed, some dropping the -n-, some the -t; -vaan is nominative case in masculine gender)


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## jakubisek

Chhaatr said:


> From my side - "sukhvant" and "yashvant"


  sukha- and yashas- are nouns in Sanskrit; so if xush is solely an adjective, I guess it is the only case..?   By the way xush- and sukh- are etymologically related, aren't they?  (Or is xush cognate rather with suukshma-, not sure now...)


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## Qureshpor

Chhaatr said:


> From my side - "sukhvant" and "yashvant".


But, as far as I can tell, both "sukh" and "yash" are nouns and not adjectives.


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## Qureshpor

Wolverine9 said:


> Yes, it's Perisan _xush _plus Sanskrit _-vant_.  The Persian cognate is -_vand_.  There is also the similar _-vaan_, which is used in both Sanskrit and Persian compounds.


What does "xush-vant" mean? I am not aware of "xush-vand" (or even "xush-mand").


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## Wolverine9

_xush-vant_ = happy; perhaps an emphatic way of saying it.  I think it's used mainly in Punjabi names.  It appears grammatically incorrect as far as Urdu or Hindi are concerned.  _-vand_ is the Persian cognate to _-vant _but there is no _xush-vand._


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## marrish

I decided to revive this thread on the day of the demise of highly respected Mr. Khushwant Singh. May his soul rest in peace. wuh mubaarak 3umr 99 baras kii tak zindah rahe the. Simple _xush_ would be happy but _xushwant_ is something else, does anyone follow my reasoning from post #4?


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## mundiya

Was xush/xvash ever used as a noun?  If it was then I guess the name has been explained.  If it wasn't, then I think "xushvant" is a shortened form of an original but no longer extant "xushiivant" or was constructed at a time when people didn't have a firm grasp that -vant should only be used with nouns.


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## Qureshpor

^ Very valid points, mundiya Jii. As you say it is possibly a contraction of "xushii-vant" or a form constructed against the norm.


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## marrish

But what is the norm? I mean it is not _guNRiivant_ but _guNRvant_. Perhaps it has followed this (doubtful) pattern?


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## mundiya

"guN" is a noun, but "xush" is an adjective in current usage. The norm is to use -vant to form a possessive adjective from a noun.


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## marrish

Yes, your explanation clarifies the matters for me. Thank you very much. I don't know if xush used to be a noun or incorporated in compound nouns. Perhaps Persians can do justice to this question, especially sapnachaandni SaaHibah because she is fluent in bot Persian and U.


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## shahmukhi

ونت پنجابی دا لاحقہ ہے تے ایس دا مطلب ' والا ' ہے ۔ ایہہ ناواں نال آندا ہے۔


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## Qureshpor

shahmukhi said:


> ونت پنجابی دا لاحقہ ہے تے ایس دا مطلب ' والا ' ہے ۔ ایہہ ناواں نال آندا ہے۔


جناب اے گل تے سہاڈے پلے پہلاں دی پئی ہوئی ہے۔ پر سوال اے وے پئی خوش دے نال ونت ککنڑسجدا اے؟


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## shahmukhi

خوش دا مطلب چنگے نصیب وی ہن، تے ایس طرحاں خشونت دا مطلب بندا ہے نصیب والا۔


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## Qureshpor

^ 
تساں اے مطلب کتھوں لیا اے؟ اسیں تے ایس نوں پہلی واری سنڑنیاں آ پئے۔


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## shahmukhi

میں لیا تاں کتھوں وی نہیں پر اپنے پیو کولوں سُندے ریہے ہیں ، ہُن ایہہ ناں پچھناں کہ پیو کوں ہے، کیوں جے تُساں پچھناں ضروری ہے ایس لئی پہلاں ہی دس دیواں میرا پیو ' سردار محمد خان' ہے ایہہ کون ہے ایہہ تُسی آپے لبھو۔


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## Qureshpor

نہیں، معا ف کرنا جناب۔ میرا مقصد کسے دے والدین تک جانڑ دا بالکل نہیں سی۔ آخر میں وی پنجابی آں تے کل دا بچہ وی نہیں۔ میں  ایہ مظلب اپنڑے کسے بزرگ دے مونہیں اج توڑی نہیں سنڑیا۔ میں آپے پہاویں ٹھیٹھہ پنجابی ناں وی بولدا ہوواں پر میرے نانکے ضرور ٹھیٹہ پنجابی نے۔


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## shahmukhi

ایہہ تے میں مذاق نال لکھیا سی۔ البتہ پیو دا ناں ٹھیک لکھیا سی ، سوچیا سی کہ جے ایتھے پنجابی وچ گل بات ہُندی ہے تے فیر ایتھے دے لوک ایس ناں نوں جاندے ہون گے۔


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