Western Words With Roots In Sanskrit

By Ajit Krishna Dasa

Did you know that many common English words are connected to Sanskrit — the ancient language of India?

We rarely stop to consider where our words come from. Language often feels like a tool we use, nothing more. But behind the words we speak lie centuries of memory, culture, and thought. 

One of the most surprising and overlooked roots in Western languages leads back to Sanskrit — the language that has carried India’s wisdom, philosophy, and poetry through the ages. And yet, it keeps reappearing, quietly, in everyday English.

Sanskrit is not just a classical language of philosophy and sacred literature — it is an original root language whose influence still lingers in many of the words spoken in the modern world. Though often perceived as distant or exotic in the West, Sanskrit shows up in unexpected ways — especially through the shared vocabulary of daily speech. These parallels aren’t coincidental. 

They point to a deeper historical connection — a continuity that still resonates.

Many English words reflect sounds and meanings found in Sanskrit. It’s not just resemblance — it’s evidence of how language carries memory. Here are a few examples that illustrate this fascinating relationship:

Danta means tooth — like dentist or dental.

Mātṛ means mother — like maternal or matriarch.

Pitṛ means father — like paternal or patriot.

Bhrātṛ means brother — like fraternity or fraternal.

Nāman means name — like nominate or nomenclature.

Agni means fire — like ignite or ignition.

Jñā means to know — like knowledge, recognize, or agnostic.

Pada means foot or step — like pedal, pedestrian, or podiatry.

Vid means to see or know — like video, evident, or vision.

Rājan means king — Latin rex comes from this, giving us regal or royal.

Sarpa means snake — like serpent.

Asthi means bone — like osteology or ossify.

Dā means to give — like donate, donor, or pardon.

Mṛ means to die — like mortal, mortuary, or murder.

Mad means to rejoice or be intoxicated — like mad, madness, or merriment.

Rudh means to redden — like ruby or rubicund.

Div means sky or heaven — like divine or deity.

Jan means to be born — like generate, genesis, or gene.

Nāsa means nose — like nasal or nostril.

Manas means mind — like mental, mention, or mind.

Dyu means day — like diary, diurnal, or daylight.

Tri means three — like triangle, triple, or trio.

Sapta means seven — like September (originally the seventh month).

Aṣṭa means eight — like October (originally the eighth month).

Nava means new — like novel, innovation, or naval.

Sthā means to stand or remain — like state, status, or stable.

Tumula means noisy or tumultuous — related to Latin tumulus, which gives us tumult, tomb, and tumor.

These aren’t isolated cases. Sanskrit has left its mark on more than just spiritual traditions — it can be found in the framework of ordinary language.

When we begin to listen to the roots of language, we discover a hidden story. Not just about words — but about connection. Sanskrit’s presence in modern language is a quiet reminder that nothing arises in isolation. Even what we think of as new and Western carries echoes of something much older. Perhaps next time we speak, we’ll hear it — and perhaps we’ll listen a little more closely.