Prakrit

[prah-krit, -kreet]

noun

any of the vernacular Indic languages of the ancient and medieval periods, as distinguished from Sanskrit.

Origin of Prakrit

1780–90; < Sanskrit prākṛta, derivative of prakṛti; see prakriti

Related formsPra·krit·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for prakrit

Historical Examples of prakrit

The syllable ava was transformed in Prakrit into o, and the ta into da.
Sagas from the Far East
Various
The synthetic declension of Sanskrit and Prakrit has disappeared.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4
Various
It is not however a derivative of this Prakrit but parallel to it and in some words presents older forms.
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Charles Eliot
The discovery near Khotan of official documents written in Prakrit makes colonization as well as religious missions probable.
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Charles Eliot
The first Indian colonists seem to have introduced a Prakrit dialect.
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Charles Eliot

British Dictionary definitions for prakrit

Prakrit

noun

any of the vernacular Indic languages as distinguished from Sanskrit: spoken from about 300 bc to the Middle AgesSee also Pali

Derived FormsPrakritic, adjective

Word Origin for Prakrit

C18: from Sanskrit prāktra original, from pra- before + kr to do, make + -ta indicating a participle

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

Word Origin and History for prakrit

Prakrit

popular dialect of ancient northern and central India (distinguished from Sanskrit), sometimes also applied to modern languages, 1766, from Sanskrit prakrta- "natural, original" (opposed to samskrta- "prepared, refined"), from pra- "before, forward, forth" (see pro-) + krta- "to make, do, perform," from PIE root *k(w)er- "to make, form" (related to karma).