Word history

Monier-Williams (1899) records gupta with the sense “protected, guarded”. Gupta is the Sanskrit participial word for protected, guarded or preserved. It describes a state resulting from protection. गुप्ते adds the surname ending seen in Marathi, while keeping the recognizable gupt sequence. The lexical connection explains the word family; it does not identify a protector or a historical event involving a household.

Sources: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword gupta, page 359, column 1, entry L65904

Literal dictionary sense

gupta: Protected, guarded.

Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword gupta, page 359, column 1, entry L65904

Native-script forms

गुप्ते · 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.