Krishna

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A major deity in Hinduism, revered as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, known for his teachings in the Bhagavad Gita and his playful nature
2. A central figure in Hindu mythology, celebrated for his divine roles such as a protector, teacher, and embodiment of love and compassion
3. A significant personality in Indian culture and spirituality, often depicted as a flute-playing young man surrounded by his devotees and divine lila (pastimes)

Etymology: Krishna is a proper noun, and its English form is a direct borrowing from Sanskrit "kṛṣṇa," which means "black" or "dark." That sense is the key to the name. Its Sanskrit root traces back through Proto-Indo-Iranian "kr̥šnás" to a Proto-Indo-European form "kr̥snós," built on the root "kers-," and the same colour-word family shows up across the Indo-Iranian languages. The dark colour of the name is a classic example of a title that carried its meaning into a deity's identity. A word meaning simply "dark" became the name of one of the most widely worshipped figures in Hindu tradition, so the English term preserves a colour adjective that Sanskrit speakers would have heard in ordinary speech before it ever named a god.

Synonyms: vishnu, avatar, god, deity