The lexicography of Sanskrit

Sanskrit is one of the most ancient attested Indo-European languages, and it has one of the oldest lexicographic traditions in the world. This chapter is organized as follows. The Introduction offers basic information about the chronology of, and the main texts in, Sanskrit. The first section of the Description outlines the characteristics of Sanskrit relevant for lexicography: its phonology and writing systems; its systems of alternation and morphemic variability; and the lexicographic status of its verbal prefixes (preverbs), which are treated differently by different dictionaries. The chapter then offers a brief overview of the history of Sanskrit lexicography, from the most ancient documented works onwards, nighaṇṭu and kośa, up to the bilingual dictionaries compiled within the Western lexicographic tradition during more recent centuries. The final sections deal with the constantly increasing number of digital text corpora and dictionaries of Sanskrit, as well as with further perspectives on the development of Sanskrit lexicography and online tools, and the role of Sanskrit institutions in India in these processes.