Hindu etymology

Etymology

The word "Hindu" is derived from the Persian word "Hinduv," which in turn originated from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu."

Meaning

The Sanskrit word "Sindhu" originally referred to the Indus River, which flows through northwestern India. Over time, the term "Sindhu" came to be applied to the land on the other side of the Indus River, which is now known as India.

Origin

The origin of the term "Hindu" can be traced back to the 6th century BCE, when the Persian Achaemenid Empire ruled over parts of India. The Persian rulers referred to the people living in the Indus Valley as "Hindus."

Later Usage

During the medieval period, the term "Hindu" was used by Muslim conquerors to refer to the non-Muslim population of India. In the 19th century, the term was adopted by Indian nationalist leaders to create a sense of unity among the diverse population of India.

Current Usage

Today, the term "Hindu" is widely used to refer to the followers of Hinduism, one of the major religions of the world.

Hindu relate terms

  • Hindi

    Etymology Hindi is an Indo Aryan language spoken in northern India and is the official la

  • Hindu

    Etymology The word Hindu is derived from the Persian word Hinduv which in turn origi

  • Hindoo

    Etymology The word Hindoo is derived from the Persian Hindu which in turn comes from

  • Hindu

    Etymology The word Hindu is derived from the Persian word Hinduv which in turn origi

  • henotheism

    Etymology From Greek henos one theos god Meaning Henotheism is the belief an

  • suttee

    Etymology The word suttee comes from the Sanskrit word sati which means faithful wi

  • avatar

    Etymology and Meaning The word avatar is derived from the Sanskrit word avatāra whi

  • pariah

    Etymology Latin paria equal match Old French parage lineage rank Middle Engl

  • Urdu

    Etymology Urdu is an Indo Aryan language that evolved from the Khariboli dialect of the H

  • Bhagavad Gita

    Etymology Bhagavad Derived from the Sanskrit words Bhagavan Lord and vat having

  • India

    Etymology The name India is derived from the Greek word Indikos which was used to r

  • Asian

    Etymology The word Asian originates from the ancient Greek word Ἀσία Asía wh

  • pitch

    Etymology and Origin The word pitch has multiple etymological origins Latin pix

  • warrant

    Etymology The word warrant originates from the Old French term warant which in turn