Snana
/ˈsnɑːnə/noun
A ritual or ceremonial bath, especially in Hindu religious practice.
Did you know?In Hindu traditions, snana can mark purification before worship, pilgrimage, festivals, and major rites, with sacred rivers treated as spiritually transformative.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sneh₂-
“To bathe or wash; a reconstructed Indo-European verbal root.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
snā́ti
“Bathes or washes.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
snāna
“Bathing, ablution, or ritual purification by water.”
Medieval Sanskrit
Sanskrit
snāna
“Ceremonial bathing, especially in a sacred or religious context.”
Modern Hindi
Hindi
snān
“Bathing; ritual bathing or ablution.”
Modern English
English
snana
“A term borrowed from Sanskrit for Hindu ritual bathing.”
Explore more surprising origins