Namaste
intj, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The traditional greeting when saying the word namaste, with folded hands and a slight bow.
"Krishnan introduced one of the girls as his sister. She was a small, frail-looking girl with a pretty smile. She clasped her hands, made a namaste and said, “Hello, nice meet you. My name is Karishma.” “Hello, Karishma,” said Natascha."
- 2 In yoga, the pose associated with this word, usually with the flat hands held palms together, fingers up, in front of the heart and a slight bow.
- 1 To utter "namaste". intransitive
"The yoga instructor namasted, and the class began."
- 1 A greeting in contexts relating to Indian culture or the New Age movement.
"First of all, Namaste to you! It is my sincere hope that the words of this book will assist you in living with full appreciation for all the moments of your life. Remember that each one is special and brings something to your life[…]"
- 2 Thank you (via a misunderstanding of the meaning of the associated gesture). proscribed
Example
More examples"India is watching to see if the country’s traditional greeting, the namaste, described as “virus-proof,” goes global as some world leaders adopt it amid the coronavirus pandemic."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Sanskrit नमस्ते (namaste, literally “salutation to you”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.