Meaning and Etymology
Amrita comes from Sanskrit amṛta, formed from the negative prefix a‑ “not” and mṛtyu “death”, thus meaning “not death”, “immortal” or “nectar of the gods”[4]. Wiktionary records the same sense as “the water of life; the drink of the Hindu gods”[1].
Origin and Language Usage
The name originates in Sanskrit, the classical language of ancient India[1][4]. As a personal name it is used primarily for girls in Hindi‑speaking communities and among Sikhs and Hindus, and appears in Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Odia and other Indian languages as shown by native‑script entries[2].
Pronunciation
Standard Hindi pronunciation is given as IPA /əm.ɾɪ.t̪ɑː/[2]. Variations may exist in other regional languages.
Spellings and Variants
Romanised forms include Amrita and Amritā. The Devanagari spelling is अमृता. Related masculine form is Amrit, and other transliterations appear in many Indian scripts (e.g., Gujarati અમૃતા, Bengali অমৃতা)[2].
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Frequently asked questions
What does the name Amrita mean?
It means “immortal”, “not death” and is also described as the “nectar of the gods” in Sanskrit sources[1][4].
What is the linguistic origin of Amrita?
The name comes from Sanskrit, formed from the prefix a‑ ‘not’ and mṛtyu ‘death’[4].
How is Amrita pronounced in Hindi?
The Standard Hindi pronunciation is /əm.ɾɪ.t̪ɑː/[2].
Related terms
References
Follow the sources to explore the evidence and context behind this article.
- amrita - Wiktionary, the free dictionary; http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amrita
- अमृता - Wiktionary, the free dictionary; https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/
- A Sanskrit-English dictionary; with references to the best editions of Sanskrit authors and etymologies and comparisons of cognate words, chiefly in Greek, Lati; https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/BENScan/BENScanpdf/ben-0045.pdf
- Amrita; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amrita