List of English words of Sanskrit origin
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This is a list of English words of Sanskrit origin. Many of
these words were not directly borrowed from Sanskrit. The
meanings of some words have changed slightly after being
- "Land of the Afghans"; from Arabic: Afġān (افغان) via
Prakit: Avagānā (आभगन) which is derived from the Sanskrit
tribal name Aśvaka (अश्वक) meaning "horseman", as the country
was noted for its fine breed of horses; and the Persian suffix
ـستان -stan meaning "land". This name was used in
reference to the Kambojas in antiquity.
- from Sanskrit अहिंसा ahimsā, which means "not-harmful".
- through Sinhalese: ඇඹරැල්ලා ultimately from Sanskrit:
अम्बरेल्ला, a kind of tree.
- from Sanskrit अमृतम् amrtam, nectar of everlasting life.
- through German: Anilin, French: Aniline and Portuguese: Anil
from Arabic النيل al-nili and Persian نیلا nila,
ultimately from Sanskrit नीली nili.
- from Latin Ariana, from Greek Ἀρεία Areia,
ultimately from Sanskrit आर्य Arya-s "noble, honorable".
- from Sanskrit आसन āsanam which means "seat", a term
describing yoga postures.
- ultimately from Sanskrit आश्रम āsramah, a religious
- through Maldivean:އަތޮޅު probably ultimately from Sanskrit अंतला
- from Catalan alberginera, via Arabic (باذِنْجان
al-badinjan) and Persian (بادنجان badin-gan) ultimately
from Sanskrit वातिगगम vātinganah, meaning eggplant.
- from Sanskrit अवतार avataara, which means "descent", an
refers to the human incarnation of God during times of distress on
earth. Thus, Krishna and Rāma were both avataars of Vishnu, who also
manifested himself as an avatar many other times to make a total of
- from Sanskrit आयुर्वेद āyurvedah, which means "knowledge
- from Sanskrit बन्धन bandhan, "a bond".
- from Hindi baniyaa ultimately from Sanskrit वणिज्
waNij, which means "a merchant".
- through Hindi बासमती ultimately from Sanskrit वास vāsah.
- from Sanskrit बहुव्रीहि bahuvrīhih, a composite word,
meaning 'much rice.'
- from Old French beryl, via Latin beryllus, Greek
βήρυλλος and Prakrit वेलुरिय (veluriya) ultimately
from Sanskrit वैडूर्य vaidurya-, of Dravidian origin,
maybe from the name of Belur.
- from Sanskrit भक्ति bhakti, which means "loyalty".
- from Hindi भांग bhang, which is from Sanskrit भङ्ग
- through Hindi बीड़ी ultimately from Sanskrit वितिकम vitikam.
- from Sanskrit ब्रIह्मण brahmana-s, from brahman.
- from Persian بادنجان badingān, probably from Sanskrit
- from Sanskrit बुद्ध buddha, which means "awakened,
enligtened", refers to Siddhartha Gautama, founder of Buddhism Also
refers to one who is enlightened in accordance with the teachings of
Buddha or a likeness of Buddha
- via Khmer ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា Kâmpŭchea; ultimately from
Sanskrit: Kambujadesa (कम्बोजदेश; land of Kambuja).
- from Old French sucre candi, via Arabic: قندي qandi
and Persian: قند qand probably ultimately from Sanskrit खुड्
khanda "piece of sugar", perhaps from Dravidian.
- from French carmin, via Middle Latin from Arabic: قرمز
qirmiz "crimson", which is from Sanskrit क्रिमिगा krimiga.
- from Portuguese caixa, from Sinhalese කසි kasi,
Tamil காசு kacu, which is from Sanskrit कर्ष karsha, a
weight of gold or silver; this is the proper noun related with the
miscellaneous coins of small value, common noun "cash" is not of
- from Kashmir, the Himalayan region where this wool is from. The
name Kashmere is derived from Ka (का; "water") and shimir
(शिमिरि; "to desiccate").
- through Urdu چادر čâdor and Persian چادر čâdar
"tent, mantle, scarf, veil, sheet, table-cloth"; ultimately from
Sanskrit छत्त्रम् chattram.
- from Sanskrit चक्रं cakra, which means "a circle, a
- through Hindi काम्पक ultimately from Sanskrit काम्पका campaka,
an evergreen tree.
- from Hindi चिता chita "a leopard", from Sanskrit चित्राका
chitraka, which means "speckled".
- via Latin Sina, Persian چین Cin, and Sanskrit चीन
Chinas; ultimately derived from the name of the Qin Dynasty (秦).
- from Hindi छींट chint, which is from Sanskrit चित्रस
chitra-s "clear, bright".
- from Hindi चिट्ठी chitthi "a letter, note", which is from
Sanskrit चित्रस chitra-s "uniquely marked".
- through Urdu چادر ultimately from Sanskrit छत्त्रम् chattram.
- via Hindi काकोर cakor and Urdu چکور chukar
ultimately from Sanskrit चकोर cakorah.
- from Hindi चक्कर chakkar, from Sanskrit चक्र cakra,
"a circle, a wheel".
- from Sanskrit चिति पति citi-pati, which means "a funeral
- from Hindi ख़त khat "a couch", which is from Sanskrit
- from Hindi कुरी kauri and Urdu کمتدب kauri, from
Marathi कवडइ kavadi, which is ultimately from Sanskrit कपर्द
- from Old Spanish cremesin, via Middle Latin cremesinus
from Arabic قرمز qirmiz "a kermes", which is ultimately from
Sanskrit कृमिज krmi-ja literally: "red dye produced by a
- through Hindi दल dāl ultimately from Sanskrit दलह
dalah, meaning cotyledon of a pea pod, a type of Indian food,
also refers to lentil in the US.
- from Sanskrit दासा daasa, a slave or servant.
- through Latin and Hindi: धतूरा dhatūra "jimson weed"
ultimately from Sanskrit धत्तुरह dhattūrāh, a kind of
- through Hindi दोदर deodār ultimately from Sanskrit
देवदारु devadāru, a kind of tree.
- from Sanskrit देवी deva, which means "a god", akin to
Latin deus, "god".
- from Sanskrit देवी devi, which means "a goddess".
- from Pali धम्म dhamma and Sanskrit: धर्म, which means
- through Hindi: धोती ultimately from Sanskrit धुनोति dhūnoti,
traditional garment of men's wear in India.
- from Hindi दिन्गी dingi "a tiny boat", probably from
Sanskrit द्रोणम drona-m.
- from Arabic: فلافل, perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit पिप्पल
- via Hindi गज "Elephant bull" ultimately from Sanskrit गांजा
gāñjā, which means "of hemp".
- via Hindi गौर "consider" ultimately from Sanskrit गौरह gaurah.
- through French and Hindi घड़ियाल ghariyāl ultimately from
Sanskrit घंतिक ghantikah, a kind of crocodile.
- perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit गौह gauh via Bengali
গযল্, a kind of animal.
- perhaps finally from Sanskrit गर्त gartah via Hindi:
गाड़ी, a kind of vehicle.
- through Hindi: घी ultimately from Sanskrit: घृतं ghritam.
- through Hindi गार ultimately from Sanskrit गॊपलि gopālī,
an annual legume.
- via Hindi गोनी ultimately from Sanskrit गोणी goni "sack".
- via Nepalese गोर्खा ultimately from Sanskrit गोरक्साह
goraksah, "a cowherd".
- via Hindi गुरु ultimately from Sanskrit गुरु guru-s,
which means "a teacher".
- through Hindi हनुमान from Sanskrit Hanuman (हनुमान्), a
kind of small monkey, Hindu mythological God.
- Hare Krishna
- from Sanskrit Hare (हरि) and Krishna (कृष्ण).
- from Sanskrit हिमालय himalayah, which means "place of
- from Hindi हिंद Hind, via Persian: هندو Hindu
"Sind" ultimately from Sanskrit सिन्धु sindhu, which means "a
- from Turkish çakal, from Persian شغال shaghal,
from Middle Indic shagal, ultimately from Sanskrit सृगाल
srgalah "the howler".
- via Portuguese jágara, jagre and Malayalam ഛക്കര
chakkara perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit शर्करा sarkara.
- through Hindi जंगल jangal "a desert, forest" ultimately
from Sanskrit जंगल jangala-s, which means "arid".
- through Hindi जगन्नाथ jagannath ultimately from Sanskrit
जगन्नाथ jagat-natha-s, which means "lord of the world".
- via Bengali পাট jhuto ultimately from Sanskrit जुतास
juta-s, which means "twisted hair".
- from Sanskrit कर्म karman, which means "work, fate".
- probably ultimately from Sanskrit कृशर krśara.
- via French: Kermès, Arabic: قرمز qirmiz and
Persian قرمز qermez; perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit: कृमिज
kṛmija meaning "worm-made."
- through Hindi कोस kos ultimately from Sanskrit रोस
krosah, which means "a call, a shout".
- through Hindi करैत karait probably ultimately from
Sanskrit: काराइट, a kind of snake.
- through Urdu لاکھ, Persian لاک and Hindi लाख
lakh from Prakrit लक्ख lakkha, ultimately from
Sanskrit लक्षं laksha.
- through French: Laque and Portuguese: Laca from Arabic لك
lakk, via Prakrit ultimately from Sanskrit लक्षं laksha.
- through Hindi लुट lut probably ultimately from Sanskrit
- via Arabic للك lilak from Persian نیلک nilak
meaning "bluish", ultimately from Sanskrit नील nila, which
means "dark blue".
- ultimately from Sanskrit लुण्टा lota-m or लून्त्ति
luṇṭhati meaning "he steals" through Hindi लूट lūṭ, which
means "a booty, stolen thing".
- through Hindi महाराजा ultimately from Sanskrit महा राजन्
maha-rājān, which means "a great king".
- through Hindi महारानी finally from Sanskrit महा रानी
mahārājnī, which means "consort of a maharajah".
- from Sanskrit महर्षि maha-rishi, which means "a great
- from Sanskrit महात्मा mahatman, which means "a great
- from Sanskrit महायान maha-yana, which means "a great
- via Hindi माहुत (variant of महावत) ultimately from Sanskrit
- from Sanskrit मण्डल mandala, which means "a disc,
- via Portuguese mandarim, Dutch mandorijn, Malay
mantri, and Hindi मंत्री mantri "a councillor" ultimately
from Sanskrit मन्त्रिन् mantri, which means "an advisor".
- from Sanskrit मन्त्र mantra-s which means "a holy message
- from Sanskrit माया māyā, a religious term related with
- from Dutch meerkat "monkey" (literally: "lake cat"), or
probably through Hindi मरकत markat ultimately from Sanskrit
मर्कट markata meaning "an ape".
- from Sanskrit मित्र Mitrah, which means "a friend".
- from Sanskrit मोक्ष moksha, liberation from the cycle of
death and rebirth.
- via Hindi मगर and Urdu مگر magar ultimately from Sanskrit
मकर makara ("sea creature"), like a crocodile, which attacks
- Mung bean
- through Hindi मुग mū̃g and Pali/Prakrit मुग्ग mugga
ultimately from Sanskrit मुग्दह् mudgah, a kind of bean.
- via Middle English Muske, Middle French Musc, Late Latin Muscus
and Late Greek μόσχος moskhos from Persian موشک mushk,
ultimately from Sanskrit मुस्कस् muska-s meaning "a
testicle", from a diminutive of मुस mus ("mouse").
- through Hindi मैना maina ultimately from Sanskrit मदन
madana-s, which means "love".
- through Hindi नैनसुख nainsukh and Urdu نینسوکھ ultimately
from Sanskrit नयनम्सुख् nayanam-sukh, a kind of fabric.
- through Hindi ultimately from Sanskrit नमस्ते namas-te,
which means "I bow to you".
- through Old French narde and Latin nardus from
Greek νάρδος nardos, perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit णलदम्
- through French Narguilé and Persian نارگيله nārghīleh
ultimately from Sanskrit नारिकेला nārikelah.
- probably from Romany nak "a nose", via Hindi नक् nak
ultimately from Sanskrit नक्र nakra.
- through Hindi निम् nīm ultimately from Sanskrit निम्बह्
nimbah, a kind of tree.
- through Hindi नीलगाय nīlgāy lit., blue cow ultimately
from Sanskrit निलगौह् nīla-gauh, an ox-like animal.
- from Sanskrit निर्वाण nirvana-s which means "extinction,
- through French opalle from Latin opalus from Greek
ὀπάλλιος opallios, probably ultimately from Sanskrit औपल
- through Old French orenge, Middle Latin orenge and
Italian arancia from Arabic نارنج naranj, via Persian
نارنگ narang and Sanskrit नारङ्ग naranga-s meaning "an
- via Hindi ultimately from Sanskrit राग rāgah, melodic
modes used in Indian classical music.
- ultimately from Sanskrit रजिकतिक्तक rājikātiktakaḥ via
Hindi रायता rāytā, a south Asian condiment and side dish made
of yogurt and vegetables.
- through Hindi राज and Pali/Prakrit रज्ज rajja ultimately
from Sanskrit राज्य rājya, which means "a king" or "kingdom."
Raj means kingdom or domain of a ruler.
- through Hindi राज from Sanskrit राजन् rājān, which means
- through Hindi ultimately from Sanskrit रमतिलह् rāmatilah,
which means "a dark sesame".
- through Hindi रानी ultimately from Sanskrit राजनि rājnī,
consort of a rajah.
- via Old French ris and Italian riso from Latin
oriza, which is from Greek ὄρυζα oryza, through an
Indo-Iranian tongue finally from Sanskrit रीहि vrihi-s
- From Persian رخ rokh; ultimately from रत rath
"chariot." (This is the chess piece, not the bird.)
- through Hindi रुपया rupiyā ultimately from Sanskrit
रूप्यकम् rūpyakam, an Indian silver coin.
- via Romani from Sanskrit राजा rājā, rye is used to define
a gypsy person.
- via Latin Saccharon and Greek σάκχαρον from Pali सक्खर
sakkharā, ultimately from Sanskrit शर्करा sarkarā.
- ultimately from Sanskrit साधु sādhu meaning "good man."
- from Sanskrit समाधि samadhi, which means "putting
- through Afrikaans, Malay, and Tamil சம்பல் campāl
ultimately from Sanskrit सम्बार sambhārei.
- through Hindi ultimately from Sanskrit संभारह् śambarah,
a kind of Asian deer.
- from Sanskrit संसार saṃ-sāra, which means "passing
- via Middle English sandell, Old French sandale,
Medieval Latin sandalum, Medieval Greek σανδάλιον
sandalion (diminutive of σάνδαλον sandalon) and Arabic
and Persian صندل; perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit चन्दनम्
candanam meaning "wood for burning incense;" this is the word
sandalwood, not related to sandals which is a type of footwear.
- ultimately from Sanskrit संधि samdhih, a wide variety of
- from Sanskrit संघ saṅgha, a community of Buddhist monks
- from Sanskrit संस्कृतम् samskrtam "put together,
- via Old French saphir, Latin sapphirus and Greek
σάπφειρος sappheiros from a Semitic tongue (c.f. Hebrew: ספיר
sapir); possible ultimate origin in Sanskrit शनिप्रिय sanipriya
which literally means "Sacred to Saturn (Shani)".
- through Hindi साड़ी sari and Prakrit सदि sadi, finally
from Sanskrit षाटी sati "garment".
- from Sanskrit सत्याग्रह satyagraha, which means
"insisting on truth".
- from Sanskrit सत्त्व sattvah, which means "truth".
- through Russian шама́н from Tungus shaman, perhaps from
Chinese 萨满 sha men, via Prakrit समन finally from Sanskrit
श्रमण sramana-s "a Buddhist monk".
- via Anglo-Indian shampoo and Hindi चाँपो champo
probably from Sanskrit चाँपना capayati, which means "kneads".
- from Persian شال shal, finally from Sanskrit सत्ल्
satI, which means "a strip of cloth".
- from Sanskrit सिद्ध siddhah, which means "achieved,
- through Hindi सिख sikh "a disciple", ultimately from
Sanskrit शिक्शते siksati which means "studies".
- via Hindi सिंह Singh finally from Sanskrit सिंह simhah
which means "a lion".
- via Malay Singapura ultimately from Sanskrit सिंहपुरं
Simhapuram, literally "the lion city".
- from Sanskrit सिंहल Simhala which means "Sri Lanka".
- from Sanskrit सिंहल simhala which means "of lions".
- Sri Lanka
- from Sanskrit: री लंका which means "venerable island."
- from Sanskrit स्तूप stūpah which means "crown of the
- through Old French sucre, Italian zucchero, Middle
Latin succarum, Arabic: سكر sukkar and Persian: شکر
shakar ultimately from Sanskrit शर्करा sharkara which
means "ground or candied sugar" (originally "grit" or "gravel").
- from Middle English sulfur, Old French soufre, and Latin
sulfur and Arabic صفرا sufra meaning "yellow," perhaps
ultimately from Sanskrit गन्धक sulvari.
- via Hindi: सुन्न ultimately from Sanskrit: सन sāna, a
kind of Asian plant.
- from Sanskrit सूत्र sutram which means "a rule".
- through Hindi finally from Sanskrit सती sati, which means
"an honorable woman".
- through Hindi स्वामी swami ultimately from Sanskrit
स्वामी svami, which means "a master".
- from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक svastika, which means "one
associated with well-being, a lucky charm".
- via Bengali: টাকা from Sanskrit तन्कह् tankah.
- through Hindi and Malay talipat from Sanskrit तलपत्त्रं
tālapattram, a kind of tree.
- via French "stretched" and Hindi ultimately from Sanskrit
- from Sanskrit तन्त्र tantram, which means "weave".
- via Hindi तिपाई tipāi and Urdu تپائي tipāʼī,which
originated as a Sanskrit compound: त्रि (trí, “three”) and पाद
- through Marathi ठग and Hindi ठग thag probably ultimately
from Sanskrit स्थग sthaga, which means "a scoundrel".
- from Sanskrit तिल tilah, a kind of plant.
- through Hindi तरी tari ultimately from Sanskrit तल
tala-s, a Dravidian origin is also probable.
- via Hindi: तोला ultimately from Sanskrit तुला tulā, a
traditional Indian unit of mass.
- through Hindi तुन tūn ultimately from Sanskrit तुन्नह्
tunnah, a kind of tree.
- through Hindi टॉप ṭop probably from Prakrit थुपो thūpo,
finally from Sanskrit स्तूप stūpah.
- through Hindi तसर tasar "shuttle" finally from Sanskrit
तसरम् tasaram, a large moth.
- through Middle English tutie, Old French, Medieval Latin
tūtia, Arabic توتي tūtiyā, and Persian توتیا
ultimately from Sanskrit तुत्थं tuttham meaning "blue
vitriol", a Dravidian origin is also probable.
- from Sanskrit विमान vimana meaning plane, also referred
to the top of the temple tower, sanctum santorum.
- ultimately from Sanskrit वीणा vīṇā through Hindi वीणा
vīṇā, a kind of instrument.
- A verandah or veranda is a roofed opened gallery or porch
- from Sanskrit virinchi meaning Brahma, also referred to
the Creator of Universe.
- through Sinhalese: වන්ඩෙරූ finally from Sanskrit वानर vānarah,
a kind of monkey.
- via Thai: วัด ultimately from Sanskrit वात vātah meaning
- through Hindi योग ultimately from Sanskrit योग yoga-s,
which means "yoke, union".
- through Hindi योगी yogi from Sanskrit योगस yoga,
one who practices yoga or ascetic.
- यथि yathih, which means "great sage, holyman" (this might
have come to use as one might have mistaken a sage for the real
- through Japanese 禅 and Chinese 禪 Chán ultimately from
Pali झन jhāna and Sanskrit ध्यान dhyana, which means