Hinduism
/ˈhɪn.duː.ɪzəm/noun
A diverse family of religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions that originated in South Asia.
Did you know?Historically, many practitioners identified with specific traditions such as Vedanta, Shaivism, or Vaishnavism rather than using “Hinduism” as a single unified religious label.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-Iranian
Proto-Indo-Iranian
*sindhu-
“A river or large body of water; the precise ultimate origin is uncertain.”
Vedic period
Sanskrit
sindhu
“River, especially the Indus River and the surrounding region.”
6th–5th Century BCE
Old Persian
Hinduš
“The land and people beyond the Indus River, from a Persian pronunciation of Sanskrit sindhu.”
4th–3rd Century BCE
Greek
Indos
“The Indus River and the region associated with it; the source of Greek and later Latin forms for India.”
16th–18th Century
Persian and English
Hindu
“A person or cultural inhabitant of the Indian subcontinent; the term gradually acquired religious meaning in some contexts.”
19th Century
English
Hinduism
“An English formation combining Hindu with -ism, used to describe the diverse religious traditions of India as a broad collective.”