विशेषण (visheshan)
noun
A grammar term meaning 'adjective' -- the part of speech that describes a noun. Mostly encountered in classroom/textbook contexts rather than casual speech.
Sense
1
:
adjective (grammatical term)
noun, masculine
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This is the word you'll see in Hindi dictionaries and grammar books abbreviated as वि. (vi.) next to an entry, telling you the word is an adjective. It is built from the same root as विशेष (vishesh, 'special') plus a grammatical suffix, so if you know one you can guess at the other's flavor: something that 'specifies' or 'characterizes' a noun.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse विशेषण (visheshan, 'adjective') with विशेष (vishesh, 'special') because they share the root -- विशेष (vishesh) is the adjective meaning 'special/particular,' while विशेषण (visheshan) is the grammatical category label itself, not a describing word you'd use in a sentence. 2) This word shows up almost exclusively in grammar lessons, dictionaries, and school textbooks (e.g. labeling a word as '(वि.) (vi.)' in an entry) -- you will rarely hear it in casual conversation.
Sample Sentences:
विशेषण वह शब्द होता है जो संज्ञा की विशेषता बताता है।
An adjective is a word that describes a quality of a noun.
(visheshan vah shabd hotaa hai jo sangyaa kii visheshtaa bataataa hai।)
इस वाक्य में 'लाल' शब्द विशेषण है।
In this sentence, the word 'red' is an adjective.
(is vaaky men 'laal' shabd visheshan hai।)
शिक्षक ने बच्चों से वाक्य में विशेषण पहचानने को कहा।
The teacher asked the children to identify the adjective in the sentence.
(shikshak ne bachchon se vaaky men visheshan pahchaanne ko kahaa।)
कृपया इस अनुच्छेद में सभी विशेषणों को रेखांकित करें।
Please underline all the adjectives in this paragraph.
(kripyaa is anuchchhed men sabhii visheshnon ko rekhaankit karen।)
व्याकरण की किताब में हर विशेषण के आगे 'वि.' लिखा होता है।
In the grammar book, 'adj.' is written next to every adjective.
(vyaakran kii kitaab men har visheshan ke aage 'vi.' likhaa hotaa hai।)
अगर तुम विशेषण और क्रिया में फ़र्क़ जानते होते, तो यह गलती नहीं करते।
If you had known the difference between an adjective and a verb, you wouldn't have made this mistake.
(agar tum visheshan aur kriyaa men farq jaante hote, to yah galtii nahiin karte।)
हो सकता है कि यह शब्द संज्ञा हो, विशेषण नहीं।
It's possible that this word is a noun, not an adjective.
(ho saktaa hai ki yah shabd sangyaa ho, visheshan nahiin।)
प्राचीन संस्कृत व्याकरणों में विशेषण की परिभाषा बड़े विस्तार से दी गई है।
In ancient Sanskrit grammars, the definition of the adjective is given in great detail.
(praachiin sanskrit vyaakarnon men visheshan kii paribhaashaa bade vistaar se dii gaii hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
विशेषण
(visheshan)
(sg.m.oblique):
विशेषण
(visheshan)
(pl.m.direct):
विशेषण
(visheshan)
(pl.m.oblique):
विशेषणों
(visheshnon)