کس

See also: كس, کش, and گس

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian AYŠ (kas, “person, somebody”).

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “From Proto-Indo-European *kʷís (“who, what”).”

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [kas]

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäs]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰäs]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰäs]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæs]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäs]

Readings
Classical reading^?	kas
Dari reading^?	kas
Iranian reading^?	kas
Tajik reading^?	kas

Noun

کس • (kas) (plural کسان)

(archaic) person
one, person, somebody (in relative clauses)
- c. 1260, Rumi, “2:1080−1081”, in The Masnavi:
  چون کسی کاو از مرض گل داشت دوست، گر چه پندارد که آن خود قوت اوست، قوت اصلی را فرامش کرده است، روی در قوت مرض آورده است.
  čon kas-i k-u az maraz gel dâšt dust, gar če pendârad ke ân xod qut-e u-st, qut-e asli-râ farâmoš karde ast, ruy dar qut-e maraz âvorde ast.
  As [in the case of] one who from disease has become fond of [eating] clay—though he may suppose that that [clay] is indeed his [natural] food, he has [in reality] forgotten his original food and has betaken himself to the food of disease.
  (Reynold A. Nicholson translation)

Related terms

کسی (kasi)
هیچ‌کس (hič-kas)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-European *kuḱis (“(female) pubic hair; vulva”). Cognate with Northern Kurdish quz (“vagina, vulva, cunt, pussy”), Hawrami [script needed] (kʷsî, “vulva”), Lithuanian kūšỹs (“pubic hair, vulva”) and Latvian kūsis (“pubic hair, vulva”). Possibly a euphemism from the older meaning "belly", preserved in Sanskrit कुक्षि (kukṣí, “belly”), in Sogdian qwšy (“side (e.g. of the body)”) and in Persian (kuštī, “girdle”). Old Armenian կոյս (koys, “virgin”) may be an Iranian borrowing. Note also Ancient Greek κυσός (kusós, “vagina; anus”).

Alternative forms

کوس

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [kus]

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʊs]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰʊs]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰus]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰos]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰus]

Readings
Classical reading^?	kus
Dari reading^?	kus
Iranian reading^?	kos
Tajik reading^?	kus

Noun

کس • (kos) (plural کس‌ها)

(vulgar, slang) pussy, cunt, fanny
(slang) an attractive girl or woman

Descendants

→ Arabic: كُس (kus)
- → Hebrew: כּוּס (kus)
→ Khalaj: kus
→ Urdu: کُس (kus)

References

Chyet, Michael L. (2003) “quz”, in Kurdish–English Dictionary‎^[1], with selected etymologies by Martin Schwartz, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, page 498b
Edelʹman, D. I. (2011) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume IV, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 411–412
Horn, Paul (1893) Grundriss der neupersischen Etymologie (in German), Strasbourg: K.J. Trübner, § 852, page 190
Hübschmann, Heinrich (1895) Persische Studien [Persian Studies] (in German), Strasbourg: K.J. Trübner, page 87
Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 507

Urdu

Etymology 1

Pronoun

کِس • (kis) (Hindi spelling किस)

Indirect form of کیا (kyā).
Indirect form of کون (kaun).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Classical Persian (kus, “pussy, cunt”).

Pronunciation

(Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kʊs/

Noun

کُس • (kus) f (Hindi spelling कुस)

(vulgar) pussy, cunt

Derived terms

کُس مَرانی (kus-marānī, “haroltry”)

References

“کس”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “کس”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.
Platts, John T. (1884) “کس”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
“کس”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.