raga

noun

ra·​ga ˈrä-gə 

1

: one of the ancient traditional melodic patterns or modes in Indian music

2

: an improvisation based on a traditional raga compare tala entry 1

Examples of raga in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are Indian ragas, Middle Eastern maqams, Indonesian gamelan, Japanese koto, West African kora, and Central African balafon. — Steve Hochman, SPIN, 15 July 2026

Each chapter represents three hours of day or night following the Indian raga time cycle. — Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026

Listening can feel like stumbling through a landscape that is both brutal and stunning, comprising raga drone and haunted violin screeches as well as beautifully woozy stoner rock and idyllic birdsong, all colliding into unexpected forms. — David Glickman, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026

The title track is an infectiously groovy, eighteen-minute improvisation for electric keyboards, in which quicksilver tendrils of melody appear and recede, shimmering in the style of Indian raga. — William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Sanskrit rāga, literally, color, tone; akin to Sanskrit rajyati it reddens, Greek rhezein to dye

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1