Nagin
/ˈnɑːɡɪn/noun
In South Asian folklore, a female serpent or female nāga, often depicted as a supernatural shapeshifter.
Did you know?In Hindu and South Asian folklore, nāgas and nāgins are often powerful serpent beings associated with water, fertility, hidden treasure, and supernatural transformation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-Iranian
Proto-Indo-Iranian
*nā́gas
“Serpent or snake; a reconstructed ancestral form connected with later Indo-Aryan serpent terms.”
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
nāga
“Snake, cobra, or powerful serpent being; later a class of semi-divine serpent beings.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
nāginī
“Female serpent or female nāga, formed with a feminine suffix.”
Medieval Indo-Aryan
Prakrits
nāgiṇī
“Female serpent or serpent woman in descended regional forms.”
Modern Hindi
Hindi
nāgin
“Female snake or female serpent being, especially in folklore and popular storytelling.”
Modern English
English
nagin
“A South Asian folklore term for a female serpent or shapeshifting serpent woman.”