Sanskritic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to Sanskrit, the ancient classical language of India, or to the texts and traditions written in it
2. Connected with the classical Indian language Sanskrit and the body of literature, religion and learning expressed through it
3. Characteristic of or derived from Sanskrit, the historic literary language of South Asia and its cultural heritage

Etymology: "Sanskritic" is a plain formation: the noun "Sanskrit" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic" attached, giving the sense "of or relating to Sanskrit, the classical language of ancient India." The suffix comes from Greek "-ikos" by way of Latin "-icus", and it is the same ending found in words like "Hebraic" and "Slavic", which pair a language or people's name with the sense of belonging to it. The base word itself carries the older history. "Sanskrit" is an English borrowing of the Sanskrit "saṃskṛta", meaning "put together" or "refined", a past participle built from "sam", "together", and "kṛ", "to make". The name reflects a contrast within the language's own world: it was regarded as a cultivated, polished speech set against the vernacular forms of everyday life.