गोबर (gobar)

noun A concrete everyday noun: cow (or buffalo) dung, especially as used in rural/village life for fuel, plaster, and manure. Single sense.
Sense 1 : cow dung
noun, masculine
Synonyms: गोमय (gomay, literary)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In North Indian villages, गोबर (gobar) is far from just waste -- it is patted into round cakes called गोबर के थेपड़े/उपले (gobar ke thepde), dried on walls or rooftops, and burned as cooking fuel; it is also mixed with mud to plaster courtyard floors (a job traditionally done by women each morning). You will also hear the mildly scolding insult गोबर गणेश (gobar ganesh, 'dung Ganesh') used affectionately or teasingly for someone acting foolish or slow-witted.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes assume this word is only 'waste' with a negative connotation, but in village contexts it is discussed neutrally or even positively, as a useful resource (fuel cakes, plaster, fertilizer) -- tone in conversation is often practical, not disgusted. 2) गोबर (gobar) is grammatically masculine; don't default to feminine because it ends in a consonant-like sound before the schwa.
Sample Sentences:
गाँव में औरतें सुबह-सुबह आँगन में गोबर से लिपाई करती हैं। In the village, women plaster the courtyard with cow dung early in the morning.
(gaanv men aurten subah-subah aangan men gobar se lipaaii kartii hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दादी छत पर गोबर के थेपड़े थाप रही थीं। Grandmother was patting cow-dung cakes on the roof.
(daadii chhat par gobar ke thepde thaap rahii thiin।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
सूखे गोबर को जलाकर खाना पकाया जाता है। Dried cow dung is burned to cook food.
(sookhe gobar ko jalaakar khaanaa pakaayaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
गोबर उठाओ और उसे गड्ढे में डाल दो। Pick up the cow dung and put it in the pit.
(gobar uthaao aur use gaddhe men daal do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
खेत में गोबर की खाद डाली गई थी। Cow-dung manure had been spread in the field.
(khet men gobar kii khaad daalii gaii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अगर बारिश न होती तो गोबर के थेपड़े छत पर अच्छे से सूख जाते। If it hadn't rained, the cow-dung cakes would have dried nicely on the roof.
(agar baarish n hotii to gobar ke thepde chhat par achchhe se sookh jaate।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
उसने अनजाने में गोबर पर पैर रख दिया। He accidentally stepped on cow dung.
(usne anjaane men gobar par pair rakh diyaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
गाँव के बाहर गोबर का ढेर लगा हुआ था। There was a heap of cow dung piled up outside the village.
(gaanv ke baahar gobar kaa dher lagaa huaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
चल गोबर गणेश, अब उठ भी जा, कब तक सोता रहेगा! Come on, you dung Ganesh, get up already, how long will you keep sleeping!
(chal gobar ganesh, ab uth bhii jaa, kab tak sotaa rahegaa!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
शायद किसान गोबर को बेचकर भी कुछ कमा ले। Perhaps the farmer might even earn something by selling the cow dung.
(shaayad kisaan gobar ko bechkar bhii kuchh kamaa le।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): गोबर (gobar)
(sg.m.oblique): गोबर (gobar)
(pl.m.direct): गोबर (gobar)
(pl.m.oblique): गोबरों (gobron)