San·skrit (s n skr t )n. An ancient Indic language that is the language of Hinduism and the Vedas and is the classical literary language of India. [Sanskrit sa  sk tam, from neuter of saskta-, perfected, refined : sam, together; see sem-1 in Indo-European roots + karoti, he makes; see kwer- in Indo-European roots.]San skritist n.Word History: Like Latin in Europe and elsewhere, Sanskrit has been used by the educated classes in India for literary and religious purposes for over two thousand years. It achieved this status partly through a standardization that resulted from a long tradition of grammatical theory and analysis. This tradition reached its height around 500 b.c. in the work of the grammarian Panini, who composed an intricate and complex description of the language in the form of quasi-mathematical rules reminiscent of the rules of generative grammar in modern times. The language thus codified was called sa sktam, "put together, artificial," to distinguish it from pr ktam or the "natural, vulgar" speech of ordinary people. Sanskrit thus became a fixed literary language, while Prakrit continued to develop into what are now the modern spoken languages of northern and central India, such as Hindi and Bengali. |
Sanskrit [ˈsænskrɪt]
n
(Linguistics / Languages) an ancient language of India, the language of the Vedas, of Hinduism, and of an extensive philosophical and scientific literature dating from the beginning of the first millennium bc It is the oldest recorded member of the Indic branch of the Indo-European family of languages; recognition of the existence of the Indo-European family arose in the 18th century from a comparison of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin. Although it is used only for religious purposes, it is one of the official languages of India
[from Sanskrit samskrta perfected, literally: put together]
Sanskritist n
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Sanskrit - (Hinduism) an ancient language of India (the language of the Vedas and of Hinduism); an official language of India although it is now used only for religious purposesHindooism, Hinduism - a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and based on a caste system; it is characterized by a belief in reincarnation, by a belief in a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils Darsana - (from the Sanskrit word for `to see') one of six orthodox philosophical systems or viewpoints on the nature of reality and the release from bondage to karma Mimamsa - (from the Sanskrit word for `reflection' or `interpretation') one of six orthodox philosophical systems or viewpoints on ritual traditions rooted in the Vedas and the Brahmanas as opposed to Vedanta which relies mostly on the Upanishads Vedanta - (from the Sanskrit for `end of the Veda') one of six orthodox philosophical systems or viewpoints rooted in the Upanishads as opposed to Mimamsa which relies on the Vedas and Brahmanas Veda, Vedic literature - (from the Sanskrit word for `knowledge') any of the most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism written in early Sanskrit; traditionally believed to comprise the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads Ayurveda - (Sanskrit) an ancient medical treatise summarizing the Hindu art of healing and prolonging life; sometimes regarded as a 5th Veda Urdu - the official literary language of Pakistan, closely related to Hindi; widely used in India (mostly by Moslems); written in Arabic script Hindi - the most widely spoken of modern Indic vernaculars; spoken mostly in the north of India; along with English it is the official language of India; usually written in Devanagari script Bihari - the Indic language spoken in Bihar (and by some people in Pakistan and Bangladesh) Magadhan - a subfamily of Indic languages Mahratti, Marathi - an Indic language; the state language of Maharashtra in west central India; written in the Devanagari script Gujarati, Gujerati - the Indic language spoken by the people of India who live in Gujarat in western India Indic, Indo-Aryan - a branch of the Indo-Iranian family of languages Agni - (Sanskrit) Hindu god of fire in ancient and traditional India; one of the three chief deities of the Vedas Asvins - (literally `possessing horses' in Sanskrit) in Hinduism the twin chariot warriors conveying Surya optative, optative mood - a mood (as in Greek or Sanskrit) that expresses a wish or hope; expressed in English by modal verbs |
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