lakh

[ lak ]

/ læk /

(in South Asia, especially India)

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noun

the sum of 100,000, especially of rupees. The usual punctuation for sums of Indian money above a lakh is with a comma after the number of lakhs: Rs. 30,52,000 (that is, 30 lakhs and 52,000) instead of 3,052,000.

an indefinitely large number.

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Also lac

[lak] /læk/ .

Origin of lakh

First recorded in 1605–15; from Hindi lākh, ultimately from Sanskrit lakṣa

Words nearby lakh

Lake Victoria, Lakeville, lake whitefish, Lakewood, Lake Worth, lakh, lakin, Lakmé, Lakota, laksa, Lakshadweep

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

How to use lakh in a sentence

Three months after it rolled out vaccines, the country hit a grim milestone on April 5 when it recorded over a lakh fresh cases with cases surging in states like Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka among others.
Should India open up the Covid-19 vaccines for all age groups?|Arunabh Saikia|April 8, 2021|Quartz
If your Majesty leaves behind you the lakh and a half demanded by my partner I shall at least say that which is true.
The Great Mogul|Louis Tracy
Here was actually a receipt showing that Nur Mahal had given the Feringhi jewels worth a lakh and a half of rupees.
The Great Mogul|Louis Tracy
There is a trite saying among the Hindoos, that "a matrimonial alliance could not be completed without uttering a lakh of words."
The Hindoos as they Are|Shib Chunder Bose

The Rajah of Jyneghur offered him a lakh of rupees a day as soon as the grand army should enter his district.
History of the War in Afghanistan, Vol. I (of 3)|Sir John William Kaye
If 1000 rupees be required, said the Shah, these persons will ask a pledge in property of a lakh of rupees.
History of the War in Afghanistan, Vol. I (of 3)|Sir John William Kaye

British Dictionary definitions for lakh

lakh

lac

/ (lɑːk) /

noun

(in India and Pakistan) the number 100 000, esp when referring to this sum of rupees

Word Origin for lakh

C17: from Hindi lākh, ultimately from Sanskrit lakshā a sign

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