Adjacent Words

Veda definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VEDA, n. vedaw'. The name of the collective body of the Hindoo sacred writings. These are divided into four parts or vedas. the word is sometimes written vedam.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (from the Sanskrit word for `knowledge') any of the most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism written in early Sanskrit; traditionally believed to comprise the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads [syn: Vedic literature, Veda]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Sanskrit, literally, knowledge; akin to Greek eidenai to know — more at wit Date: 1734 any of four canonical collections of hymns, prayers, and liturgical formulas that comprise the earliest Hindu sacred writings

Britannica Concise

Any of a group of sacred hymns and verses composed in archaic Sanskrit, probably in the period 1500-1200 BC. Together they form a body of liturgical literature that grew up around the cult of the soma ritual. They extol the hereditary deities that personified various natural and cosmic phenomena. The entire corpus of Vedic literature, incl. the Upanishads, was considered the product of divine revelation. The Vedas were handed down orally for many generations before being committed to writing. Even today, several are recited with intonation and rhythm associated with the early days of Vedic religion. See also Rig Veda, Vedanta.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (in sing. or pl.) the most ancient Hindu scriptures, esp. four collections called Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and Atharva-Veda. Etymology: Skr. veda, lit. (sacred) knowledge

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Veda Ve"da (?; 277), n. [Skr. v?da, properly, knowledge, from vid to know. See Wit.] The ancient sacred literature of the Hindus; also, one of the four collections, called Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda, constituting the most ancient portions of that literature. Note: The language of the Vedas is usually called Vedic Sanskrit, as distinguished from the later and more settled form called classical Sanskrit.