As a deity name
Name 12 of the Durga Sahasranāma — Kula Arnava Tantra / Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
As a Hindi name
प्रभा · noun · feminine
दीप्ति । प्रकाश । आभा । चमक · किरण । रश्मि · सूर्य का बिंब — Śabdasāgara
प्रभा · pra-bhā · s.f.
Light, splendour, radiance, effulgence, lustre; shadow — Platts (1884), digital edition courtesy DSAL, University of Chicago, p. 238
प्रभा · feminine
a female given name, Prabha, from Sanskrit
प्रभा · feminine
light, brilliance, splendour, lustre; personification of light
Cited formation "प्रभा" is प्र- + भा: भा means "दीप्ति । चमक । प्रकाश", and the prefix प्र- forms excess, very, forward. CHD Basic Grammar App. I §3(14) — cited from the extracted rule table — base gloss: Śabdasāgara
Cited formation "प्रभा" is प्रभ + -आ: प्रभ means "प्रभायुक्त । प्रकाशमय । चमकदार ( समासांत में प्रयुक्त ) जैसे, नीलांजनप्रभ", and the suffix -आ forms abstract, agent, action or instrumental nouns (masc.); also past participles. CHD Basic Grammar App. I §8(3) — cited from the extracted rule table — base gloss: Śabdasāgara
a Hindi word, a tatsama: the Sanskrit word borrowed unchanged into Hindi प्रभा — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्रभा (prabhā́). Cognate with Marathi प्रभा (prabhā), Nepali प्रभा (prabhā) and Telugu ప్రభ (prabha).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
pra-√ 1. bhā P. -bhāti, to shine forth, begin to become light, shine, gleam, RV. &c. &c.; to appear, seem, look like (nom. with or without iva), MBh.; Kāv. &c.; to illuminate, enlighten, TUp.
prabhā f. light, splendour, radiance, beautiful appearance (ifc. often mfn. with f(ā). ), Mn.; MBh. &c.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
light, splendour, radiance, beautiful appearance (ifc. often with ā), &c.
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (8)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "prabhā" is the nominative of "prabhṛ" — the same word in a different grammatical case, derived from the stem's own paradigm.
Dictionary citations
pra-√ 1. bhā P. -bhāti, to shine forth, begin to become light, shine, gleam, RV. &c. &c.; to appear, seem, look like (nom. with or without iva), MBh.; Kāv. &c.; to illuminate, enlighten, TUp.
prabhā f. light, splendour, radiance, beautiful appearance (ifc. often mfn. with f(ā). ), Mn.; MBh. &c.
the shadow of the gnomon on a sun-dial, Sūryas.
light variously personified (as wife of the sun, or as wife of Kalpa and mother of Prātar, Madhyaṃ-dina and Sāya i.e. morning, midday and evening, or as a form of Durgā in the disc of the sun), Hariv.; Pur.
N. of a Śakti, Hcat.
pra-√ bhṛ P. Ā. -bharati, ˚te, to bring forward, place before, offer, present, RV.; AV.; ŚāṅkhŚr. ; to stretch forth, extend, RV.; to hurl, cast, ib.; (Ā.) to quiver, ib.; to be borne along, rush on ib.; to praise, ib.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
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