# पवस्त
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* পৱস্ত (Assamese script)
* ᬧᬯᬲ᭄ᬢ (Balinese script)
* পবস্ত (Bengali script)
* 𑰢𑰪𑰭𑰿𑰝 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀧𑀯𑀲𑁆𑀢 (Brahmi script)
* ပဝသ္တ (Burmese script)
* પવસ્ત (Gujarati script)
* ਪਵਸ੍ਤ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌪𑌵𑌸𑍍𑌤 (Grantha script)
* ꦥꦮꦱ꧀ꦠ (Javanese script)
* 𑂣𑂫𑂮𑂹𑂞 (Kaithi script)
* ಪವಸ್ತ (Kannada script)
* បវស្ត (Khmer script)
* ປວສ຺ຕ (Lao script)
* പവസ്ത (Malayalam script)
* ᢒᠠᠸᠠᠰ᠌ᢠᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘢𑘪𑘭𑘿𑘝 (Modi script)
* ᢒᠠᠸᠠᠰᢐᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧂𑧊𑧍𑧠𑦽 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐥𑐰𑐳𑑂𑐟 (Newa script)
* ପଵସ୍ତ (Odia script)
* ꢦꢮꢱ꣄ꢡ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆥𑆮𑆱𑇀𑆠 (Sharada script)
* 𑖢𑖪𑖭𑖿𑖝 (Siddham script)
* පවස‍්ත (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩰𑩾𑪁 𑪙𑩫 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚞𑚦𑚨𑚶𑚙 (Takri script)
* பவஸ்த (Tamil script)
* పవస్త (Telugu script)
* ปวสฺต (Thai script)
* པ་ཝ་སྟ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒣𑒫𑒮𑓂𑒞 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨞𑨭𑨰𑩇𑨙 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *pawástam (“covering, envelope”). Cognate with Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎺𐎿𐎫𐎠 (p-a-v-s-t-a /⁠pavastā⁠/, “thin clay envelope”), whence Persian پوست (pust, “hide”). Also compare पुस्तक (pustaka), a borrowing from Middle Iranian. The Indo-Iranian word most likely traces back to a combination of *pa-was-ta-, the former component from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“off, away”) (compare अप (apa, “away, back; down”)), and the latter from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to dress”) (compare वस्ते (vaste, “to put on, invest, wear”)). The form of the former component as प-, rather than the expected अप-, is explained as a preserved archaism from Old Indo-Aryan.
Alternatively, Cheung connects the word to Proto-Iranian *paus- (“to dress, clothe, cover”) (whence Persian پوشیدن (pušidan, “to wear clothes”)), deriving both from an unidentified substrate. This is less likely, considering the word's Vedic presence and existence of a plausible Indo-Iranian etymology.

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /pɐ.ʋɐ́s.tɐ/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /pɐˈʋɐs̪.t̪ɐ/

### Noun

पवस्त • (pavásta) stem, n
* a covering, garment
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.27.7:अभूर्वौक्षीर्व्यु आयुरानड्दर्षन्नु पूर्वो अपरो नु दर्षत् । द्वे पवस्ते परि तं न भूतो यो अस्य पारे रजसो विवेष ॥abhūrvaukṣīrvyu āyurānaḍdarṣannu pūrvo aparo nu darṣat. dve pavaste pari taṃ na bhūto yo asya pāre rajaso viveṣa.Thou wast, thou grewest to full vital vigour: an earlier saw, a later one shall see thee. Two canopies, as ’twere, are round about him who reacheth to the limit of this region.
** c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 4.7.6:पवस्तैस् त्वा पर्यक्रीणन् दूर्शेभिर् अजिनैर् उत । प्रक्रीरसि त्वम् ओषधेऽभ्रिखाते न रूरुपः ॥pavastais tvā paryakrīṇan dūrśebhir ajinair uta. prakrīrasi tvam oṣadheʼbhrikhāte na rūrupaḥ.For coverings men have bartered thee, for skins of deer and woven cloths. Thou art a thing of sale, O Plant. Dug up with mattocks, gripe not thou!

#### Descendants

* Pali: potthaka (with Middle Indo-Aryan -ka-)
* Prakrit: 𑀧𑁄𑀢𑁆𑀣 (pŏttha)
* Prakrit: 𑀧𑁄𑀢𑁆𑀣𑀬 (pŏtthaya) (with Middle Indo-Aryan -ka-)
** Sindhi: پوٿو (potho, “lump of rag for smearing”)

### References

* Monier Williams (1899) “पवस्त”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 611/2.
* Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “पवस्त”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 105
* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 238
* ↑ Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 303