महायुद्ध (mahaayuddh)

noun A compound noun meaning 'great war' or 'world war' -- built from महा (mahaa, 'great') plus युद्ध (yuddh, 'war'). One sense, most commonly encountered in historical and news contexts.
Sense 1 : world war / great war
noun, masculine
Synonyms: विश्व युद्ध (vishv yuddh)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This word shows up mainly in history textbooks and news, almost always attached to 'first' or 'second' -- प्रथम महायुद्ध (pratham mahaayuddh) and द्वितीय महायुद्ध (dvitiiy mahaayuddh) -- rather than standing alone. The prefix महा (mahaa, 'great/mega') is productive and shows up in other compounds like महानगर (mahaangar, 'metropolis') and महापुरुष (mahaapurush, 'great man'), so recognizing it helps you decode new words.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use this loosely for any big fight or conflict, but native speakers reserve it for large-scale, historically significant wars (especially प्रथम महायुद्ध (pratham mahaayuddh, 'World War One') and द्वितीय महायुद्ध (dvitiiy mahaayuddh, 'World War Two')) -- for an ordinary large quarrel, बड़ी लड़ाई (badii ladaaii) is more natural.
Sample Sentences:
प्रथम महायुद्ध 1914 में शुरू हुआ था। The First World War began in 1914.
(pratham mahaayuddh 1914 men shuroo huaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
द्वितीय महायुद्ध में लाखों लोग मारे गए थे। Millions of people were killed in the Second World War.
(dvitiiy mahaayuddh men laakhon log maare gae the।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
इतिहास की किताब में महायुद्ध के बारे में पूरा अध्याय है। There is a whole chapter about the world war in the history book.
(itihaas kii kitaab men mahaayuddh ke baare men pooraa adhyaay hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शिक्षक हर साल प्रथम महायुद्ध और द्वितीय महायुद्ध के कारण समझाते हैं। The teacher explains the causes of the First and Second World Wars every year.
(shikshak har saal pratham mahaayuddh aur dvitiiy mahaayuddh ke kaaran samjhaate hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर वह महायुद्ध न होता, तो दुनिया का नक्शा कुछ और होता। If that world war had not happened, the map of the world would be different.
(agar vah mahaayuddh n hotaa, to duniyaa kaa nakshaa kuchh aur hotaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
क्या तुमने द्वितीय महायुद्ध पर बनी वह फ़िल्म देखी है? Have you seen that film made on the Second World War?
(kyaa tumne dvitiiy mahaayuddh par banii vah film dekhii hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
इतिहासकारों का मानना है कि अगला महायुद्ध पूरी सभ्यता को नष्ट कर सकता है। Historians believe that the next world war could destroy all of civilization.
(itihaaskaaron kaa maannaa hai ki aglaa mahaayuddh poorii sabhytaa ko nasht kar saktaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
परीक्षा में प्रथम महायुद्ध की तारीखें ज़रूर याद रखना। Make sure to remember the dates of the First World War for the exam.
(pariikshaa men pratham mahaayuddh kii taariikhen zaroor yaad rakhnaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
संग्रहालय में महायुद्ध से जुड़ी कई पुरानी तस्वीरें रखी गई हैं। Many old photographs related to the world war have been kept in the museum.
(sangrahaalay men mahaayuddh se judii kaii puraanii tasviiren rakhii gaii hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): महायुद्ध (mahaayuddh)
(sg.m.oblique): महायुद्ध (mahaayuddh)
(pl.m.direct): महायुद्ध (mahaayuddh)
(pl.m.oblique): महायुद्धों (mahaayuddhon)