sanskrit
/ˈsænskɹɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.31 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A classical Indo-European language of South Asia, which is the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism.
Uncountable
adj
Relating to Sanskrit.
Example Sentences
- "The Sanscrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which, perhaps no longer exists... - Sir William Jones, 2 February, 1786, at the Asiatick Society."
- "Sanskrit, Greek, Slavonic, Germanic, and Celtic names were all of this type, but there are also shorter names formed from the compound ones; […]."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Hindustani संस्कृत (sanskŕt) / سَنْسْکْرِت (sanskrit), itself a learned borrowing from Sanskrit सं॒स्कृ॒त (saṃskṛtá, “perfected; prepared; constructed; refined”). First use appears c. 1617 in the publications of Samuel Purchas.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsænskɹɪt/
- British English: /ˈsænskɹɪt/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Skt. (alternative, abbreviation)
Sanscreet (alternative)
Samescretan (alternative)
Hanscrit (alternative)
Samscred (alternative)
Samscrit (alternative)
Sangskrit (alternative)
Sanschrit (alternative)
Sanschrite (alternative)
Sanscrit (alternative)
Sansskirrit (alternative)
Shamscrit (alternative)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Prakrit
Wiktionary’s coverage of Sanskrit terms