-ਈ

• IPA^(key): [iː]

From Sanskrit -इक (-ika) or Sanskrit -ईय (-īya). Later influenced by Classical Persian ـی (-ī), from Middle Persian -yk' / 𐭩𐭪𐭩 (yky /⁠-īg⁠/, adjectival suffix), a cognate of Sanskrit -इक (-ika) through Proto-Indo-Iranian *-kas. Also influenced by Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy, nisba suffix), which in Classical Persian becomes ی (-ī).

-ਈ • (-ī)

1. relating to, forms adjectives from nouns

   ‎ਭਾਰਤ (bhārat, “India”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਭਾਰਤੀ (bhārtī, “Indian”)

   ‎ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ਣ (viśeśaṇ, “adjective”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ਣੀ (viśeśṇī, “adjectival”)

Borrowed from the nominative singular form of Sanskrit -इन् (-in, “doer, possessor”).

-ਈ • (-ī) m

1. doer, possessor

   ‎ਸੁਖ (sukh, “comfort, ease”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਸੁਖੀ (sukhī, “comforting”)

   ‎ਯਾਤਰਾ (yātrā, “travel”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਯਾਤਰੀ (yātrī, “traveller”)

Borrowed from Classical Persian ـی (-ī), from Middle Persian 𐭩𐭧 (yḥ /⁠-īh⁠/) (forms nouns from adjectives).^[1]

-ਈ • (-ī) f

1. forms abstract nouns from adjectives or common nouns

   ‎ਡੱਬਾਬੰਦ (ḍabbāband, “canned”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਡੱਬਾਬੰਦੀ (ḍabbābandī, “canning”)

   ‎ਮੈਂਬਰ (maimbar, “member”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਮੈਂਬਰੀ (maimbrī, “membership”)

All forms are ultimately from Sanskrit -इका (-ikā). Specifically,

• Direct singular inherited from Apabhramsa -इअ (-ia), from Prakrit [Term?], from Sanskrit -इकाः (-ikāḥ, nominative singular)
  • Direct plural inherited from Apabhramsa -इऔ (-iau), taking a final nasal from either instrumental -इअहिं (-iahiṃ) or the direct plural ending of the "unextended" inflection descending from Sanskrit -ई (-ī), ultimately from Sanskrit -इकाः (-ikāḥ), the nominative plural of -इका (-ikā).
• Oblique singular inherited from Apabhramsa -इहे (-ihĕ/-ihi), from Prakrit [Term?], from Sanskrit -इकायाः (-ikāyāḥ, genitive singular)
• Vocative singular inherited from Apabhramsa -इए (-iĕ), from Prakrit [Term?], from Sanskrit -इके (-ike, vocative singular)
  • Vocative plural inherited from Apabhramsa -इअहु (iahu), ultimately a univerbation of Sanskrit -इकाः (-ikāḥ), the vocative plural ending of both -इक m (-ika) and -इका f (-ikā), and Sanskrit भोस् (bhos).

-ਈ • (-ī) f

1. suffix for many feminine nouns

Inherited from Apabhramsa -इज्ज (-ijja, indicative third-person present passive), from Prakrit -इज्ज (-ijja, indicative third-person present passive). This affix is also present in Old Punjabi verbs.

-ਈ • (-ī)

1. (rare) in Eastern Punjabi dialects, an affix which forms the present passive participle in verbs

   Synonyms: -ਈਂ (-ī̃), ਜਾਣਾ (jāṇā)

   ‎ਕਰਦਾ (kardā, “he does [it]”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਕਰੀਦਾ (karīdā, “[it] is done by him”)

   ‎ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ (cāhundā, “he wants [it]”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਚਾਹੀਦਾ (cāhīdā, “[it] is wanted by him”)

2. (rare) affix which forms verbs that express desire, expectation or obligation: need, want, should, ought to

   Synonym: ਚਾਹੀਦਾ (cāhīdā)

   ‎ਕਰਦਾ (kardā, “he does [it]”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਕਰੀਦਾ (karīdā, “he should do [it]”)

   ‎ਲੈਂਦਾ (laindā, “he takes [it]”) + ‎-ਈ (-ī) → ‎ਲਈਦਾ (laīdā, “he should take [it]”)

• Use of the present passive participle, an archaic feature from northwestern Prakrit and Apabhramsa dialects, is rare in the present day. The passive voice is instead usually marked with the auxiliary verb ਜਾਣਾ (jāṇā), which indicates the passive voice in a much more extensive fashion, including past passives which can only be indicated through this verb (except in rare dialects in Western Punjab). Western Punjabi dialects use the nasalized affix -ਈਂ (-ī̃) to form the present passive participle instead.
• Similarly, the usage of ਚਾਹੀਦਾ (cāhīdā) as an auxiliary verb to express desire, expectation or obligation is much more common than the usage of the affix.
• In both uses, any nasalization at the end of the verb stem before -ਦਾ (-dā) is removed before inserting the affix.