Ragini
/ˈrɑːɡɪni/noun
A female melodic mode or composition in Indian classical music, often associated with a specific emotional mood.
Did you know?In Indian aesthetic theory, a ragini is traditionally imagined as the feminine counterpart of a raga, showing how music was once treated almost like a living, gendered force.
Etymological Timeline
Sanskrit
Skt
rāgiṇī
“a feminine form related to rāga; a melodic mode or personified musical mode”
Classical Sanskrit
Skt
rāga
“color, tint, passion, affection, desire; also a melodic framework in music”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reǵ-
“to straighten, direct, rule; later developments in Indo-Iranian led to forms associated with coloring and passion in Sanskrit”
Modern English
English
ragini
“a term used in Indian classical music for a female-associated melodic mode”