Purusha
/ˈpʊr.ʊ.ʃə/noun
A Sanskrit term for a person, human being, or cosmic spirit/self, especially in Indian philosophy.
Did you know?In the Rigveda and later Sāṃkhya thought, Purusha can mean both an actual person and the cosmic being whose presence makes the universe intelligible.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*púrus?
“No secure PIE root is established for Purusha”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
puruṣa
“person, man, human being; later the cosmic Self or spirit”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
puruṣa
“person, male, soul/self in philosophical usage”
Modern English
English
purusha
“A borrowed philosophical term from Sanskrit, used especially in Indian religious and philosophical contexts”