Sanskrit

American  

[san-skrit] / ˈsæn skrɪt /

Older Spelling, Sanscrit

noun

1. an Indo-European, Indic language, in use since c1200 b.c. as the religious and classical literary language of India. Skt, Skt., Skr., Skrt

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adjective

1. Also Sanskritic of or relating to Sanskrit.

Sanskrit British  

/ ˈsænskrɪt /

noun

1. 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

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Sanskrit Cultural  

1. The language of ancient India, and one of the oldest languages of the Indo-European family, to which English belongs.

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Other Word Forms

• Sanskritist noun
• non-Sanskritic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Sanskrit

First recorded in 1610–20; from Sanskrit saṃskṛta “adorned, perfected”; Prakrit ( def. ), Pali ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does sanskrit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Sanskrit vs. Hindi

Example Sentences

Digvijay Patil, a PhD student in archeology at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune, noticed repeated mentions of unusual plants while studying Sanskrit and Marathi texts related to sacred sites.

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2026

He wanted the British to support education in English and cease funding schools that taught in Sanskrit and Arabic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

After the passing of John Coltrane, Alice turned to African and Eastern religions, specifically Hinduism, and took on the Sanskrit name Swamini Turiyasangitananda.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2025

She studied Sanskrit, but her research in University of Chicago spanned Indian and European languages - French, German, Marathi, and Hindi - and touched on linguistics, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and more.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

Sanskrit and Latin words could be traced back to mutations and variations in an ancient Indo-European language, and English and Flemish had arisen from a common root.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee