Sanskrit
noun
San·skrit
ˈsan-ˌskrit 
ˈsan(t)-skrət
1
: an ancient Indo-Aryan language that is the classical language of India and of Hinduism
2
: classical Sanskrit together with the older Vedic and various later modifications of classical Sanskrit see Indo-European Languages Table
Examples of Sanskrit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Sanskrit, hanu means jaw, while man translates to prominent or disfigured.
—
Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Viewers argued about Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer reciting the Bhagavad Gita — from the original Sanskrit! — to Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock while in the throes of passion (the scene came in for outraged criticism in India).
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
There are two Indias – the relatively small, but globally visible, English-speaking India, and the vast, multilingual and increasingly affluent and aspirational Bharat (the ancient Sanskrit name for the country), where the growth will come from.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024
Their codas could be orders of magnitude more ancient than Sanskrit.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024
Languages as different as English, Russian, Hindustani, Latin and Sanskrit can all be traced back to this ancestral language.
—Kurt Kleiner, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024
In the paper’s supplementary materials, a brief history of kissing pinpointed South Asia as the place of origin and traced the first literary buss to 1500 B.C., when Vedic Sanskrit manuscripts were being transcribed from oral history.
—Franz Lidz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024
In India, the death of a crane inspired the writing of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana.
—Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2024
Their Greek and Sanskrit hadn’t helped them much yet in the Manhattan job market.
—Sam Dolnick, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Viewers argued about Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer reciting the Bhagavad Gita — from the original Sanskrit! — to Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock while in the throes of passion (the scene came in for outraged criticism in India).
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
There are two Indias – the relatively small, but globally visible, English-speaking India, and the vast, multilingual and increasingly affluent and aspirational Bharat (the ancient Sanskrit name for the country), where the growth will come from.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024
Their codas could be orders of magnitude more ancient than Sanskrit.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024
Languages as different as English, Russian, Hindustani, Latin and Sanskrit can all be traced back to this ancestral language.
—Kurt Kleiner, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024
In the paper’s supplementary materials, a brief history of kissing pinpointed South Asia as the place of origin and traced the first literary buss to 1500 B.C., when Vedic Sanskrit manuscripts were being transcribed from oral history.
—Franz Lidz, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024
In India, the death of a crane inspired the writing of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana.
—Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2024
Their Greek and Sanskrit hadn’t helped them much yet in the Manhattan job market.
—Sam Dolnick, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Sanskrit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Sanskrit
Cite this Entry
“Sanskrit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sanskrit. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Sanskrit
noun
San·skrit
ˈsan-ˌskrit
: an ancient Indic language of India and of Hinduism
Sanskrit
adjective
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