मोह

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀫𑁄𑀳 (moha), from Sanskrit मोह (móha).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /moːɦ/, [moːʱ]

Noun

मोह • (moh) m (Urdu spelling موہ)

1. bewilderment, infatuation, attachment
2. love, charm

Declension

Declension of मोह (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	मोह moh	मोह moh
oblique	मोह moh	मोहों mohõ
vocative	मोह moh	मोहो moho

Related terms

• मोहक (mohak)
• मनमोहक (manmohak)

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “मोह”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 837

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• moha (Latin script)
• 𑀫𑁄𑀳 (Brahmi script)
• মোহ (Bengali script)
• මොහ (Sinhalese script)
• မောဟ or မေႃႁ (Burmese script)
• โมห or โมหะ (Thai script)
• ᨾᩮᩣᩉ (Tai Tham script)
• ໂມຫ or ໂມຫະ (Lao script)
• មោហ (Khmer script)
• 𑄟𑄮𑄦 (Chakma script)

Noun

मोह m

1. Devanagari script form of moha

Declension

Declension table of "मोह" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	मोहो (moho)	मोहा (mohā)
Accusative (second)	मोहं (mohaṃ)	मोहे (mohe)
Instrumental (third)	मोहेन (mohena)	मोहेहि (mohehi) or मोहेभि (mohebhi)
Dative (fourth)	मोहस्स (mohassa) or मोहाय (mohāya) or मोहत्थं (mohatthaṃ)	मोहानं (mohānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	मोहस्मा (mohasmā) or मोहम्हा (mohamhā) or मोहा (mohā)	मोहेहि (mohehi) or मोहेभि (mohebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	मोहस्स (mohassa)	मोहानं (mohānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	मोहस्मिं (mohasmiṃ) or मोहम्हि (mohamhi) or मोहे (mohe)	मोहेसु (mohesu)
Vocative (calling)	मोह (moha)	मोहा (mohā)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মোহ (Assamese script)
• ᬫᭀᬳ (Balinese script)
• মোহ (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰺𑰮 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑁄𑀳 (Brahmi script)
• မောဟ (Burmese script)
• મોહ (Gujarati script)
• ਮੋਹ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑍋𑌹 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦺꦴꦲ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂷𑂯 (Kaithi script)
• ಮೋಹ (Kannada script)
• មោហ (Khmer script)
• ໂມຫ (Lao script)
• മോഹ (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠣᡥᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘻𑘮 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠣᠸᠠᠾᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧜𑧎 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑑀𑐴 (Newa script)
• ମୋହ (Odia script)
• ꢪꣂꢲ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆾𑆲 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖺𑖮 (Siddham script)
• මොහ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑩕𑪂 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚴𑚩 (Takri script)
• மோஹ (Tamil script)
• మోహ (Telugu script)
• โมห (Thai script)
• མོ་ཧ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒼𑒯 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨆𑨱 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *máwǰʰas, from the root *mawǰʰ- ~ *mawgʰ- (“to err, to be foolish, to deviate”), with further origin uncertain.

The "strange palatal alternation" of the root's final consonant suggests a borrowing from a non-Indo-European language, perhaps the BMAC substrate due to the root's presence in both Indic and Iranic. Alternatively, it suggests contamination from similar roots, such as *dʰrúkš (“lie, deceive”), whence द्रुह् (druh, “injury”), and *gʰawȷ́ʰ- (“to hide, conceal”), whence गुह् (guh, “to conceal”).

Cognate with Avestan 𐬆𐬴𐬆𐬨𐬀𐬊𐬖𐬀 (əṣ̌əmaoγa, “teacher of false doctrines”), Middle Persian 'hl-mwg'n (“heretics”), Khotanese [script needed] (mūys-, “to be foolish”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ́w.ɦɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmoː.ɦɐ/

Noun

मोह • (móha) stem, m (root मुह्)

1. loss of consciousness, bewilderment, perplexity, distraction, infatuation, delusion, error, folly
   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 8.8.9:

     सेदिरुग्रा व्यृद्धिरार्तिश्चानपवाचना ।
     श्रमस्तन्द्रीश्च मोहश्च तैरमून् अभि दधामि सर्वान् ॥

     sedirugrā vyṛddhirārtiścānapavācanā.
     śramastandrīśca mohaśca tairamūn abhi dadhāmi sarvān.

     Great weakness and misfortune, pain which words can never charm away,
     Languor, fatigue, bewilderment, with these I compass all the foes.

2. fainting, stupefaction, a swoon
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
3. (in philosophy) darkness or delusion of mind (preventing the discernment of truth and leading men to believe in the reality of worldly objects)
4. (with Buddhists) ignorance (one of the three roots of vice Dharmas. 139)
5. a magical art employed to bewilder an enemy (= मोहन)
6. wonder, amazement
7. Infatuation personified (as the offspring of ब्रह्मा)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of मोह (móha)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मोहः móhaḥ	मोहौ / मोहा¹ móhau / móhā¹	मोहाः / मोहासः¹ móhāḥ / móhāsaḥ¹
Vocative	मोह móha	मोहौ / मोहा¹ móhau / móhā¹	मोहाः / मोहासः¹ móhāḥ / móhāsaḥ¹
Accusative	मोहम् móham	मोहौ / मोहा¹ móhau / móhā¹	मोहान् móhān
Instrumental	मोहेन móhena	मोहाभ्याम् móhābhyām	मोहैः / मोहेभिः¹ móhaiḥ / móhebhiḥ¹
Dative	मोहाय móhāya	मोहाभ्याम् móhābhyām	मोहेभ्यः móhebhyaḥ
Ablative	मोहात् móhāt	मोहाभ्याम् móhābhyām	मोहेभ्यः móhebhyaḥ
Genitive	मोहस्य móhasya	मोहयोः móhayoḥ	मोहानाम् móhānām
Locative	मोहे móhe	मोहयोः móhayoḥ	मोहेषु móheṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• मोहन (mohana)
• मोहरात्रि (moharātri)

Related terms

• मुह्यति (muhyati)
• मुग्ध (mugdha)
• मूढ (mūḍha)

Descendants

• Konkani: मोग (mog, “love”)
• → Kannada: ಮೋಹ (mōha)
• → Tamil: மோகம் (mōkam)
• → Telugu: మోహము (mōhamu)
• Japanese: 馬鹿 (“foolish; fool”)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “मोह”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 836.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 384-385
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 662
• Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 271