What English Owes to Sanskrit

English has plundered Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world, to embellish itself.

Not surprising given the grasping nature of English.

The other day I managed to lay my hands on an interesting book: Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words & Phrases (2005 edition), Edited by Jennifer Speake.

To my delight, there were dozens of English words of Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil and Urdu origin in the book.

Since this piece focuses on Sanskrit, I looked up only the Sanskrit words.

Here is a sample of some English words of Sanskrit origin I found in the book:

• Sanyasi
  Meaning: a wandering Hindu saint; a Brahmin in the fourth and final stage of his life
• Sangha
  Meaning: a Buddhist monastic order
• Samskara
  Meaning: A purificatory ceremony
• Vihara
  Meaning: Buddhist monastery or nunnery
• Vahana
  Meaning: vehicle of a god
• Maharaja
  Meaning: Indian king or prince of high rank
• Nritya
  Meaning: Indian dance form
• Rakhsasa
  Meaning: a demon
• Dharamsala
  Meaning: Rest-house for travelers, a building devoted to religious or charitable purposes.
• Shrikhand
  Meaning: Delicious Indian dessert made of yogurt, almond, sugar and spices
• Mukti
  Meaning: to set free, release
• Veena
  Meaning: A stringed Indian musical instrument
• Moksha
  Meaning: Final release of a soul from incarnations; the bliss so attained
• Gopura
  Meaning: This dictionary defines gopura as “the great pyramidal tower over the entrance-gate to a temple precinct.”
• Yogi
  Meaning: Person practicing or proficient in yoga
• Sabha
  Meaning: An assembly, council or society
• Ayurveda
  Meaning: Ancient Indian health system that relies on plants and herbs

Logophiles will delight in poring over Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words & Phrases. Your local library should have it.