Word history

Monier-Williams (1899) records pradhāna with the sense “chief, principal”. Pradhāna is an adjective of precedence: it singles out what is main or most important. The same lexical sense can describe a principal part or a chief position. प्रधान preserves the full word in Devanagari; the Latin form Pradhan generally omits the final Sanskrit vowel. The Sanskrit form ends in a short vowel. The later spelling retains the main consonant sequence.

Sources: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword pradhāna, page 680, column 3, entry L134899

Literal dictionary sense

pradhāna: Chief, principal.

Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword pradhāna, page 680, column 3, entry L134899

Native-script forms

प्रधान · Devanagariપ્રધાન · Gujarati

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.