शव (shav)
noun
A single-sense formal/clinical noun meaning 'dead body, corpse.' It is the word you hear in news reports, hospitals, and official contexts, as distinct from more everyday or emotionally colored alternatives.
Sense
1
:
dead body, corpse
noun, masculine
Synonyms: मृत शरीर (mrit shariir), लाश (laash, everyday word), मृतक (mritak, refers to the deceased person, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this word constantly on the news -- शव बरामद (shav baraamad, 'the body was recovered') is a standard headline phrase -- and see it on hospital and mortuary signage, but ordinary people talking about a death in the family or neighborhood almost always say लाश (laash) instead. Reaching for शव (shav) in casual conversation can come across as oddly formal, almost like saying 'the deceased' instead of 'the body' in English.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for लाश (laash) as the default word for 'dead body' since it is far more common in speech; शव (shav) is the word you will see in newspapers, police reports, and hospital settings, and sounds noticeably more formal or clinical if used in casual conversation. 2) शव (shav) refers only to the physical body, not to the deceased person as a social/legal entity -- for that, मृतक (mritak) is used instead.
Sample Sentences:
पुलिस को नदी के किनारे एक शव मिला।
The police found a corpse on the riverbank.
(pulis ko nadii ke kinaare ek shav milaa।)
दुर्घटना स्थल से तीन शव बरामद किए गए।
Three bodies were recovered from the accident site.
(durghatnaa sthal se tiin shav baraamad kie gae।)
अज्ञात शव की पहचान अभी तक नहीं हो पाई है।
The unidentified corpse's identity has still not been established.
(agyaat shav kii pahchaan abhii tak nahiin ho paaii hai।)
शव को पोस्टमार्टम के लिए अस्पताल भेजा जाएगा।
The body will be sent to the hospital for a post-mortem.
(shav ko postmaartam ke lie asptaal bhejaa jaaegaa।)
शव को शवगृह में सुरक्षित रखा गया है।
The corpse has been kept safely in the mortuary.
(shav ko shavgrih men surakshit rakhaa gayaa hai।)
यदि शव सड़ चुका हो, तो पहचान करना मुश्किल हो जाता है।
If the corpse has already decomposed, identification becomes difficult.
(yadi shav sad chukaa ho, to pahchaan karnaa mushkil ho jaataa hai।)
समाचार चैनल पर खबर आई: "जंगल से शव बरामद।"
The news channel reported: "Body recovered from the forest."
(samaachaar chainal par khabar aaii: "jangal se shav baraamad।")
अगर समय पर मदद मिल जाती, तो शव इस हालत में न मिलता।
If help had arrived on time, the corpse would not have been found in this condition.
(agar samay par madad mil jaatii, to shav is haalat men n miltaa।)
डॉक्टर ने शव का परीक्षण करते हुए मृत्यु का कारण बताया।
While examining the corpse, the doctor explained the cause of death.
(doktar ne shav kaa pariikshan karte hue mrityu kaa kaaran bataayaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
शव
(shav)
(sg.m.oblique):
शव
(shav)
(pl.m.direct):
शव
(shav)
(pl.m.oblique):
शवों
(shavon)