ਪੈਰ

Pair (ਪੈਰ) is the Punjabi word for foot, said exactly like the English word pair. It names the part at the end of the leg that a person stands and walks on. The same word can also cover the leg in set phrases, but foot is its everyday core meaning.

Meaning

In its plain sense, pair is a foot. Reference works list ਪੈਰ as the Punjabi equivalent of the English word foot, the part below the ankle used for standing and walking. The leg sense appears too, since Punjabi often speaks of the whole lower limb through the foot, much as English speakers say they are on their feet when they mean they are standing. Pair is a masculine noun, and the plural pairan is heard constantly in phrases about feet.

How is pair used in everyday speech?

Respect is the use learners notice first. Pair chhuhna, touching the feet of an elder, is the traditional sign of respect and a request for blessings. Pairan te kharna, standing on your own feet, means being independent and able to support yourself. Pair phisalna is a foot slipping, and by extension a person slipping up. News of someone arriving is often given simply as pair paya, a visit was made, said with warmth about honoured guests.

Is pair a foot or a leg?

It is mainly the foot, with the leg sense riding along in some phrases. Dictionaries give both readings for the same word: foot as the first meaning, leg as the second. In daily speech, if someone says their pair hurts after a long walk, they mean the foot, and no one misunderstands.

What does pair chhuhna mean?

Pair chhuhna means to touch someone's feet as a mark of respect. Younger family members touch the feet of parents and grandparents at greetings, festivals and departures, and receive a blessing in return. It is one of the most visible customs built on this word, and it survives strongly in diaspora homes as well.