Vedic

How to spell vedic

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce vedic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does vedic mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the Vedas, the ancient sacred texts of Hinduism, or to the early Sanskrit language and culture in which they were composed.

Vedic in a sentence

• The professor specialises in vedic literature and ancient ritual.

• Scholars trace many modern Hindu practices back to vedic traditions.

Where does vedic come from?

Language of origin: Sanskrit

This word comes from Sanskrit veda, which literally meant 'knowledge' or 'sacred wisdom', the name given to the oldest layer of Hindu scripture. The noun was built on the ancient Indo-European root weid, meaning 'to see' and so 'to know', the very same root that gave Latin videre 'to see', Greek eidos 'form', and the homely English words 'wit' and 'wisdom'. English added the familiar Latin-derived adjective ending -ic to form the modern term, which entered scholarly English in the early nineteenth century as Europeans began studying ancient Indian texts. It describes the language, religion, and culture of the Vedas, the hymns and rituals composed in archaic Sanskrit. The spelling is refreshingly regular for an imported word; the main trap is simply remembering the long first vowel sound spelled with a plain 'e'.

How the word is built

• ved- (from Sanskrit veda: knowledge, sacred lore)
• -ic (adjective suffix: relating to)