Look at the rich technical vocabulary of English. Isn’t it amazing that today we have so many new words created in English on almost a daily basis? Especially in evolving technical fields – Computer, Processor, Monitor, Internet, Hardware, Software, Branes, Quantum, etc. It is almost impossible to create words with similar meaning in other languages and so instead we simply loan these English words into our languages to keep pace with the rapidly evolving new terminology.

Any language during the times of its peak usage as a spoken language across large geographies will have its words imported into other languages that exist during that period. When Sanskrit was at its peak as a medium of education in India, and in the ancient Indian universities, words got imported into Greek, Latin, Persian, and of course into all languages of the Indian subcontinent from Sanskrit. These Sanskrit words have today silently form a vast majority of the original English Language. Because, English itself loaned words heavily from these ancient languages like Greek, Latin, Persian.

Many Indians ourselves fail to recognize the obvious phonetic and synonymous connection that exist between words in Indian languages (which have heavily loaned words from Sanskrit) and in English!

So I thought I better pen down a list of all such English words derived indirectly from the ancient Sanskrit.

“The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of  wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the  Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of  them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of  grammar, than could not possibly have been produced by accident; so  strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three, without  believing them to have sprung from some common source which, perhaps, no  longer exists; there is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible,  for supposing that both the Gothick and the Celtick, though blended  with a very different idiom, had the same origin with the Sanskrit; and  the old Persian might be added to the same family” - Sir William Jones, at the 3rd annual discourse before the Asiatic Society on the history and culture of the Hindus (on 2 February 1786)

Sir William Jones was an the English Philologist who for the first time in 1786 suggested that Greek and Latin were related to Sanskrit and perhaps even Gothic, Celtic and Persian languages were related to Sanskrit.

It was this work which later led to the Proto-Indo-European theory which suggests that all Indo-European languages must have a common origin.

“I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges.” said Voltaire. He believed that the “Dynasty of Brahmins taught the rest of the world”.

Read about the Varna system to understand that Brahmin in ancient India was the title given to any knowledgeable person who had completed formal education, and was not a title earned due to birth in a family, as is the practice today. Brahmin in ancient India, was like the graduate of today.

 “Mankind together with all science must have originated on the roof of the world i.e. the Himalayas” declared Immanuel Kant.

And here goes the list of English words derived from Sanskrit.

NOTE: Just to make it clear the below list does not contain Sanskrit words that have been directly borrowed into English in recent times like Karma, Avatar, Mantra, Guru, Cheetah, Pundit, Juggernaut, Nirvana, Lakh etc but lists only those English words which were derived from Sanskrit as English evolved by borrowing words from Greek/Latin etc.

Root Sanskrit WordMedian Word in Latin(L) / Greek(G) / Arabic(A)Derived English Word
Gau (meaning Cow)Bous (G)Cow
Matr (meaning Mother)Mater (L)Mother
Jan (meaning Generation)Genea (G)Gene
Aksha (meaning Axis)Axon (G)Axis
Navagatha (meaning Navigation)Navigationem (L)Navigation
Sarpa (meaning Snake)Serpentem (L)Serpent
Naas (means Nose)Nasus (L)Nose
Anamika (means Anonymous)Anonymos (G)Anonymous
Naama (means Name)Nomen (L)Name
Manu (means First Human)??Man/Men/Human
Ashta (meaning Eight)Octo (L)Eight
Barbara (meaning Foreign)Barbaria (L)Barbarian
Dhama (meaning House)Domus (L)Domicile
Danta (meaning Teeth)Dentis (L)Dental
Dwar (meaning Door)DoruDoor
Dasha (meaning Ten)Deca (G)Deca
Madhyam (meaning Medium)Medium (L)Medium
Kaal (meaning Time)Kalendae (L)Calendar
Kri (meaning To Do)Creatus (L)Create
Mishra (meaning Mix)Mixtus (L)Mix
Ma (meaning Me/My)Me (L)Me
Pithr (meaning Father)Pater (L)Father
Bhrathr (meaning Brother)Phrater (G)Brother
Loka (meaning Place)Locus (L)Locale
Maha (meaning Great)Magnus (L)Mega
Mala (meaning Dirt/Bad)Malus (L)Mal as in Malicious, Malnutrition, Malformed etc
Makshikaa (meaning Bee)Musca (L) (Meaning Fly)Mosquito
Mrta (meaning Dead)Mortis (L)Murder
Na (meaning No)NeNo
Nakta (meaning Night)Nocturnalis (L)Nocturnal
Paad (meaning Foot)Pedis (L)Ped as in Pedestrial, Pedal etc
Pancha (meaning Five)Pente (G)Penta, Five
Parah (meaning Remote)Pera (G)Far
Patha (meaning Path)Pathes (G)Path
Raja / Raya (meaning King)Regalis (L)Royal
Sama (meaning Similar)Similis (L)Similar
Sapta (meaning Seven)Septum (L)Seven
Sharkara (meaning Sugar)SuccarumSugar / Sucrose
Shoorpa (meaning Sharp)Sharp (German)Sharp
Smi (meaning Smile)Smilen (L)Smile
SthaH (meaning Situated)Stare (L) (meaning To Stand)Stay
Svaad (meaning Tasty)Suavis (L)Sweet
Tha (meaning That)Talis (L)That
Tva (meaning Thee)DihThee
Vachas (meaning Speech)Vocem (L)Voice
Vahaami (meaning Carry)Vehere (meaning to Carry) (L)Vehicle
Vama / Vamati (meaning Vomit)Vomere (L)Vomit
Vastr (meaning Cloth)Vestire (L)Vest
Yauvana (meaning Youth)Juvenilis (L)Juvenile
Narangi (meaning Orange)NaranjOrange
Pippali (meaning Pepper)Piperi (G)Pepper
Chandana (meaning Sandalwood)Santalon (G)Sandalwood
Chandra (meaning Moon)Candela (L) (meaning light / torch)Candle
Chatur (meaning Four)Quartus (L)Quarter
Shunya (meaning Zero)Cipher (A)Zero
a (prefix meaning “not” ex: gochara – agochara)a (L)(G) (prefix meaning “not”)a (prefix meaning “not” ex: theiest-atheist
an (prefix meaning “not” ex: avashya – anavashya)un (L)(G) (prefix meaning “not”)un (prefix meaning “not” ex: do-undo
Arjuna (meaning Charm of Silver)Argentinum (L)Argentinum – Scientific Name of Silver
Nava (meaning New)Novus (L)Nova – New
Kafa (meaning Mucus)CoughenCough
Mithya (meaning Lie)Mythos (G)Myth
Thri (meaning Three)Treis (G)Three
Mush (meaning Mouse)Mus (L)Mouse
Maragadum (meaning Emerald)Smaragdus (L)Emerald
Ghritam (meaning Ghee)??Ghee
Srgalah (meaning Jackal)Shagal (Persian)Jackal
Nila (meaning Dark Blue)Nilak (Persian)Lilac
SrgalahShagal (Persian)Jackal
Man (Ma as in Malaysia) (meaning Mind)Mens (L)Mind
Upalah (meaning Precious Stone)Opalus (L)Opal
Vrihis (meaning Rice)Oriza (L)Rice
Upalah (meaning Precious Stone)Opalus (L)Opal
Barbar (meaning stammering)Barbaros (G)Barbarian
Jaanu (meaning knee)Genu (L)Knee
Sunu (meaning Son or Offspring)Sunu (German)Son
Ghas (meaning eat)Grasa (German)Grass
Samiti (meaning Committee)committere (L)Committee
Sama (meaning Same)Samaz (Proto Germanic)Same
Lubh (meaning Desire)Lubo (Latin and Proto Germanic)Love
Agni (meaning Fire)Ignis (L)Ignite
Hrt (meaning Heart)Herto (Proto Germanic)Heart
Yaana (meaning journey, wagon)Wagen (German)Van, Wagon
Nara (meaning Nerve)Nervus (L)Nerve, Nervous
They (th pronounced as in thunder, meaning they)Dei (Germanic)They
Pratiper (L)per
Prati Shat (meaning for every hundred, i.e percent)per centum (L)percent