Sanskritize
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To render a non-Sanskrit text, word, etc., in a form characteristic of Sanskrit morphology or phonology. British, English, Oxford, US, transitive
""In India, gao, gauri, govinda, have relation to Kine." The 1st and 3rd have, but the other (meaning white, fair), none whatever, though the only one to his [Edward Moor's] purpose (and that but in sound), which is to Sanskritize Cuarius, a local epithet of Neptune as worshipped at Cierium in Thessaly!"
- 2 To influence a non-Sanskrit language by Sanskritic vocabulary. British, English, Oxford, US, transitive
"The period when Sanskrit began to spread itself over India cannot be determined any more than the era of the immigration of the people who spoke it. We can only determine the following points: [...] (2) to the north, the Sanskrit or its dialects prevailed as far as the Himalaya and the Indian Caucasus; (3) to the east, in the time of Aśoka, as far as the region of the Brahmaputra, though this region was not entirely Sanskritized; [...]"
- 3 To emulate rituals and practices of upper classes so as to gain upward social mobility. British, English, Oxford, South-Asia, US, transitive
"After the Maráṭhás had put down the Mahomedans and established their sway, they always used the Mahomedan era, sometimes along with, but often without, the Śaka, notwithstanding the efforts of Shiváji to Sanskṛitize his Durbar."
Example
More examples""In India, gao, gauri, govinda, have relation to Kine." The 1st and 3rd have, but the other (meaning white, fair), none whatever, though the only one to his [Edward Moor's] purpose (and that but in sound), which is to Sanskritize Cuarius, a local epithet of Neptune as worshipped at Cierium in Thessaly!"
Etymology
From Sanskrit + -ize.
Related phrases
More for "sanskritize"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.