Rupaka
/ˈruː.pə.kə/noun
A Sanskrit term for a dramatic work or, in Indian poetics, a metaphorical figure of speech.
Did you know?In classical Indian poetics, rūpaka can mean a metaphor so complete that one thing is presented directly as another, rather than merely compared with it.
Etymological Timeline
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
rūpa
“Form, shape, appearance, beauty, or visible configuration.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
rūpaka
“Form-like or figurative; something representing another form, including a metaphor or dramatic composition.”
Classical Sanskrit, c. 2nd century BCE–2nd century CE
Sanskrit
rūpaka
“A category of dramatic composition in the developing theory of Sanskrit theatre, associated with works performed through represented action.”
Medieval Indian poetics
Sanskrit
rūpaka
“A recognized figure of speech in which the subject and image are identified directly, creating an extended metaphorical representation.”
19th–20th Century
English
rupaka
“An English scholarly borrowing used in discussions of Sanskrit drama, rhetoric, and Indian literary theory.”
Modern English
English
rupaka
“A technical term referring to a Sanskrit dramatic form or a metaphorical poetic figure.”