Rakshasa

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A powerful demon or giant figure in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, often depicted as an evil supernatural being that opposes gods and righteous humans
2. A malevolent supernatural giant or demon in Hindu and Buddhist mythology that typically opposes divine forces and righteous beings
3. An evil otherworldly creature of enormous power in South Asian religious traditions, characterized as a demonic adversary to gods and virtuous humans

Etymology: Rakshasa comes straight from Sanskrit "rākṣasa," a word that appears throughout the ancient Indian epics and Hindu and Buddhist literature as a class of shape-shifting beings. Their name is usually linked to the Sanskrit root "rakṣ," meaning "to protect" or "to guard," which makes the term's meaning curious: the creatures were feared as destroyers, and the connection to protection is one scholars have long debated. In English, the word arrived as a loanword from Sanskrit and kept its original form, so it is a direct borrowing rather than a term that passed through another European language. Its sense has stayed close to the mythological one, referring to malevolent demons who prowl at night, disturb sacrifices, and sometimes take on beautiful or terrifying forms to deceive humans.