Word history
Wiktionary records गांधी (gāndhī) as a Hindi surname. The etymology traces Gandhi through Apabhramsa gaṃdhīya and Prakrit gaṃdhia to Sanskrit gāndhika. Monier-Williams records the older word as a perfumer or seller of perfumes. This sequence concerns a word associated with fragrance. It does not establish a perfume trade for anyone whose surname has the same spelling. The source chain connects several successive written forms.
Sources: Wiktionary contributors · Hindi entry, etymology and surname sense · Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword gāndhika, page 353, column 3, entry L64830
Literal dictionary sense
Native-script forms
Sources and attribution
- Wiktionary contributors · Hindi entry, etymology and surname sense
- Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword gāndhika, page 353, column 3, entry L64830
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.