Devanagari

[ dey-vuh-nah-guh-ree ]

noun

an alphabetic script with some syllabic features derived from Brahmi, used for the writing of Hindi and many other languages of India including Sanskrit.

Origin of Devanagari

First recorded in 1775–85; from Sanskrit devanāgarī, equivalent to deva- “god” + nāgarī “pertaining to a city, urbane, refined,” hence “city (writing),” feminine singular adjective derived from nagara- “city”

Also called Nagari.

Words Nearby Devanagari

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Devanagari in a sentence

Adherents to Buddhism; alphabet derived from the Devanagari.
The Natural History of the Varieties of Man | Robert Gordon Latham
Its alphabetical script is Devanagari, literally "divine abode."
Autobiography of a YOGI | Paramhansa Yogananda

British Dictionary definitions for Devanagari

Devanagari

/ (ˌdeɪvəˈnɑːɡərɪ) /

noun

a syllabic script in which Sanskrit, Hindi, and other modern languages of India are written

Origin of Devanagari

C18: from Sanskrit: alphabet of the gods, from deva god + nagari an Indian alphabet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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