कौड़ी

Hindi

Alternative forms

• कौडी (kauḍī)

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit 𑀓𑀯𑀟𑁆𑀟𑀺𑀬𑀸 (kavaḍḍiyā), from Sanskrit कपर्दिका (kapardikā), ultimately of Dravidian extraction.

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /kɔː.ɽiː/

Noun

कौड़ी • (kauṛī) f (Urdu spelling کوڑی)

1. (historical) a cowry, shell used as a token in barter
2. any small amount of money

   दो कौड़ी का ― do kauṛī kā ― poor; worthless (literally, “worth two cowries”)

Declension

Declension of कौड़ी (fem ī-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	कौड़ी kauṛī	कौड़ियाँ kauṛiyā̃
oblique	कौड़ी kauṛī	कौड़ियों kauṛiyõ
vocative	कौड़ी kauṛī	कौड़ियो kauṛiyo

Related terms

• निकौड़िया (nikauṛiyā)

Descendants

• → English: cowrie, cowry, kauri
• → French: cauri
• → Swahili: kauri

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “kauṛī”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 218