Kumbh
/kʊmbʱ/noun
A Sanskrit word meaning a pot, jar, or water vessel; by extension, it appears in names and ritual contexts such as the Kumbh Mela.
Did you know?In Sanskrit, kumbha is a ritual vessel, and it also names the Aquarius zodiac sign, so the word sits at the crossroads of astronomy, ceremony, and sacred water symbolism.
Etymological Timeline
Vedic/Sanskrit
Sanskrit
kumbha
“a pot, jar, or water vessel”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
kumbha
“a pot, pitcher, or ritual vessel; also the zodiac sign Aquarius”
Medieval Indo-Aryan
Prakrit
kumbha
“a pot or vessel”
Modern Hindi/English usage
Hindi/English
kumbh
“the shortened modern form used especially in names such as Kumbh Mela”