ইলিশ

Bengali

Alternative forms

ইলশা (ilśa), ইলশে (ilśe)

Etymology

Semi-learned borrowing from Sanskrit इलीश (ilīśa), a compound of इल् (il, “to go, move”) + ईश (īśa, “lord, master, chief”), literally meaning "the chief of those which move (in water)", referring to the perceived taste of the fish.[1] The first element is probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elh₂- (“to drive, move, go”) (compare Ancient Greek ἐλαύνω (elaúnō, “to drive”), Latin alacer (“lively, active, brisk”), Irish élaim (“flee”), Proto-Germanic *alaną (“to spurn, drive”), *lanō (“lane”)).[2]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /iliʃ/
Audio (file)

Noun

ইলিশ • (iliś)

hilsa

References

দাস, জ্ঞানেন্দ্রমোহন (1937), “ইলিশ”, in Dictionary of the Bengali Language (Self-pronouncing, Etymological & Explanatory) with Appendices (in Bengali), 2nd edition, কলিকাতা: দি ইণ্ডিয়ান্ পাব্‌লিশিং হাউস, page 282
Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q., editors (1997) Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 228

[jd-1] দাস, জ্ঞানেন্দ্রমোহন (1937), “ইলিশ”, in Dictionary of the Bengali Language (Self-pronouncing, Etymological & Explanatory) with Appendices (in Bengali), 2nd edition, কলিকাতা: দি ইণ্ডিয়ান্ পাব্‌লিশিং হাউস, page 282

[2] Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q., editors (1997) Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 228