Veda
/ˈveɪ.də/noun
Any of the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, especially the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda.
Did you know?Veda comes from the same ancient Indo-European root as Latin *video* and English *wit*, all tied to seeing, knowing, and perceiving — knowledge as something you *behold*, not just learn.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weid-
“to see, know”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
veda
“knowledge, sacred knowledge”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
veda
“the Vedas; sacred scripture”
Late 18th–19th Century
English
Veda
“the ancient sacred texts of Hinduism”
Modern English
English
veda
“a Vedic text or body of Vedic knowledge”