Word history

Monier-Williams (1899) records caturvedin with the sense “knowing four vedas”. Caturvedin is a title formed with catur, four, and the vocabulary of the Vedas. Monier-Williams cross-refers it to the adjective familiar with the four Vedas. चतुर्वेदी preserves the later title form. The older educational meaning concerns the word itself and does not identify anyone’s studies, beliefs or personal qualifications. The numeral is explicit in the compound.

Sources: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword caturvedin, page 385, column 2, entry L71321 · Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword caturvidya, page 385, column 1, entry L71311

Literal dictionary sense

caturvedin: Knowing four Vedas.

Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword caturvedin, page 385, column 2, entry L71321

Native-script forms

चतुर्वेदी · Devanagari

Sources and attribution

Dictionary senses and word histories are selected and adapted. Adapted lexical text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Linked Wiktionary entries provide contributor histories. Source register.