Origin of the word ’पैसा’.

[Arvind_Kolhatkar]

Dear Group,

I request for help from the learned members here to determine the origin of the common word in many Indian languages ’पैसा’. 

In MarathI, (and also in Hindi)  another word 'पैका' has a similar meaning.  

According to 'The Dictionary of Old Marathi', by Tulpule-Feldhaus, पैका arises from  Sanskrit 'पादिक'.  The Marathi Dictionary of Date-karve derives it as Sanskrit 'पदाति’  Prakrit ’पाइक्क’ MarathI 'पाईक', a common word  meaning 'a servant.  Though neither of the two dictionaries says so explicitly, their suggestion appears to be that wages paid to a पाईक is पाइका or पैका. 

 I consulted a few Hindi dictionaries but could not find in them any indication as to the origin of these words.

Monier-Williams has a brief entry on  'पादिक'.at p.618, the relevant part of which reads: ...; with or sc. ahar, daily wages. Pat.  (sc. is short for 'namely, to wit, as follows'.  Pat. is Patanjali.)

Am I correct in inferring that ’पैसा’ and 'पैका' can be traced back to 'पादिक'?  Does anyone know the exact citation in Patanjali where ’अहर्’ is used in combination with 'पादिक'?

Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, July 22, 2012.

[Hnbhat B.R.]

On Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Kinjal Dixit <kinjal...@gmail.com> wrote:

In the old indian currency system, the smallest unit was called a pie... could that be the root for paise?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rupee

Otherwise it could just be a corruption of english word 'pieces' as in 1 rupaya = 40 copper pieces.

This is the coinage system before India introduced in 1956 decimal system of coinage.

The Frozen Series 1947-1950

This represented the currency arrangements during the transition period upto the establishment of the Indian Republic. The Monetary System remained unchanged at 

One Rupee consisting of 192 pies.

1 Rupee = 16 Annas

1 Anna = 4 Pice पाँव् अण-s

1 Pice = 3 Pies - पाई-s?

 

1 Ana - 12 piece  

1 Rupee = 192 pieces

http://www.rbi.org.in/currency/museum/c-rep.html

Anyhow good guess work. पाँव is derived from पाद, quarter. and the पादिका, etc. good guess work, but not practically applicable, except for Quarter Ana, = 3 piece.

These denominations have taken in different languages different forms, some times पाँव आणे  in Kannada. पाँवली in Tulu and Telugu. and so on. but it is not called पैसा but the last denomination is called always पैसा as I remember. The word पाई may be a corrupt form from पाद or पादिका, but English has already "piece" in its vocabulary. Remaining is left to guess work like naming the child and trying to know Sanskrit meaning for the name.

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
Research Scholar,

Ecole française d'Extrême-OrientCentre de Pondichéry

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[अभ्यंकरकुलोत्पन्नः श्रीपादः]

नमाः सर्वेभ्यः !
१) The small coin of old Indian system in British Raj times was पै -
३ पै = १ पैसा; ४ पैसे = १ आणा (अतः १२ पै = १ आणा)
१ रुपया = १६ आणे (= ६४ पैसे = १९२ पै )
२) Actually pronunciation of पै is similar to the ratio 'pie' in geometry. पै also is a ratio, a part of; here the smallest part of the nominal coin, the रुपया
३) Speaking of market-management terminology, there is a style of saying, "MNCs are looking for a 'slice of the pie' of the Indian market." In "..'pie'-charts..", one shows the slices of the pie. Hence this term. Actually total angle around a point is two-pie radians. So "..'pie' radians" is itself a slice of the angle around a point, rather half of the angle.
४) In Sankrit shop = आपणम्. I wonder whether the word आपणम् has some relation with पण्य which means trade. आपणम् is the place where पण्य i.e. trade is transacted. There are the प and ण -वर्ण sounds in पै, पैसा, पण्य, आपणम्. Do these sounds have a close connection with exchange of commodities and the coins, the means of exchange ?

सस्नेहम्
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On Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Kinjal Dixit <kinjal...@gmail.com> wrote:

In the old indian currency system, the smallest unit was called a pie... could that be the root for paise?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rupee

Otherwise it could just be a corruption of english word 'pieces' as in 1 rupaya = 40 copper pieces.

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[Subrahmanian R]

Respects to all.

 

The subdenominations of the Rupee before 1957 were Anna [16 to the Rupee], pice [four to an Anna] and Paisa [12 to an Anna]. In 1957 the new decimal coinage was introduced - a rupee equalled 100 Naye Paise - each division being one naya paisa. In 1964, the mint considered the unit is no longer 'naya' it is thereafter known as 'Paisa' only.

 

Before independence, there have been other sub-units of the Rupee in different regions. e.g. Panam was a unit in Kerala. 'duTTu' was common in southern parts of Tamil Nadu whic equalled one third of an Anna. Similarly the same value or 1/48 of a Rupee was known as 'dub' in parts of North.'

 

The Units or subunits need not be of Sanskrit origin.

 

With reverence

R Subrahmanian

[Hnbhat B.R.]

It can be from any of the following South Indian Languages having the word Pai with related or unrelated meanings :

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/search3advanced?dbname=burrow&query=pai&matchtype=exact&display=utf8 

including Tamil, Kannada and others as given in A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary [T. Burrow] online. There may be in many other languages the identical or similar words in many languages of India, with or without any relation to the last denomination of Indian Coinage immediately before and after Independence of India.

Any guess work can derive from them the similar word.

pie adv, piously, religiously

pius: dutiful, godly, holy, upright, kind, honest, affectionate. Latin Words.\