Last updated: Jul 14, 2026

Benfey, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (`BEN`)

BEN is Theodor Benfey's A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1866) — a 19th-century reference by the noted German comparative philologist, with clearly numbered senses, textual citations (e.g. to Manu), and explicit compound sections. Glosses are in English.

At a glance


Code	`BEN` (GitHub repo `BEN`)
Full title	A Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Author	Theodor Benfey
Year / size	1866 · ~1145 pages
Direction	Sanskrit → English
Accents	No
Source	`csl-orig/v02/ben/`
Open	Basic · List · Advanced · Mobile
Data	Downloads
csl-doc	ben.rst

When to use it

Reach for BEN for a 19th-century scholarly reading with numbered senses and source references — Benfey was a major comparativist, and the dictionary reflects that lens. For modern coverage prefer Monier-Williams (MW) or Apte (AP90).

Looking up a word

Open the Basic display, pick your input/output transliteration (see Encoding & Transliteration), and type the headword. The List and Advanced displays browse and search inside entries — see Search & Display.

Reading an entry

Benfey gives the SLP1 headword in {#…#}, the IAST in {%…%}, bold sense numbers in {@…@}, abbreviations in <ab>, and citations in <ls>. The entry aṃśa (csl-orig/v02/ben/ben.txt):

<L>3<pc>0001-a<k1>aMSa<k2>aMSa
{#aMSa#}¦ {%aṃśa,%} rarely {%aṃsa,%} <ab>m.</ab> {@1.@}
A part, a share. {@2.@} Booty. {@3.@} In-
heritance, <ls>Man.</ls> 9, 47. {@4.@} See {%aṃsa.%}
{@ -- <ab>Comp.</ab>@} {%An-,%} <ab>adj.</ab> excluded from a share of the heritage, <ls>Man.</ls> 9, 201.

In the source	Meaning
`{#aMSa#}` · `{%aṃśa,%}`	the headword (SLP1 `<k1>`) then its IAST form
`<ab>m.</ab>`	grammatical category (masculine)
`{@1.@} … {@4.@}`	the numbered senses
`<ls>Man.</ls> 9, 47`	a textual citation (Manu 9.47)
`{@-- <ab>Comp.</ab>@}`	the start of the compounds section

See Data Formats for the markup reference.

What makes it distinctive

Numbered senses + citations. Meanings are enumerated and anchored to texts like Manu.
A comparativist's dictionary. By Theodor Benfey, with explicit compound sections.

Headword key conventions

<k1> = <k2> = SLP1 stem. The entry body immediately gives the IAST form in {%…%}. Numbered senses use {@N.@} bold markers; compounds are collected under {@-- <ab>Comp.</ab>@}.

Convention	Marker / form	Example	Note
Search key	SLP1 stem	`aMSa`	k1 = k2
IAST display form	`{%aṃśa%}` immediately after `{#…#}`	`{#aMSa#}¦ {%aṃśa,%}`	The printed (IAST) form follows the SLP1 key
Numbered senses	`{@N.@}` in bold	`{@1.@} A part, a share`	Clear enumeration of meanings
Compound section	`{@-- <ab>Comp.</ab>@}`	explicit marker	BEN explicitly marks where compound sub-entries begin
Citation	`<ls>Man.</ls> 9, 47`	Manu 9.47	Standard source tags with locus

Abbreviations

source: ben_ab.txt, ben_ls.txt

Literary sources 114

Show first 60 of 114 abbreviations

Amar.	Amaruśataka, ed. Calcutt.
Ānandal.	Ānandalaharī, in Häberlin's Sanskrit Anthology.
Arj.	Arjunasamāgama, an episode of the MBh., ed. Bopp.
Ujjvalad.	Ujjvaladatta, ed. Aufrecht.
Bhag.	Bhagavadgītā, ed. Schlegel.
Bhāg. P.	Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, ed. Burnouf.
Bhartṛ.	Bhartṛhari, ed. Bohlen.
Bhāṣāp.	Bhāṣāpariccheda, in Bibliotheca Indica and in my Sanskrit Chrestomathy.
Bhaṭṭ.	Bhaṭṭikāvya, ed. Calc.
Bhaviṣyap.	Bhaviṣya-Purāṇa.
Böhtl. Chr.	Böhtlingk, Sanskrit Chrestomathy.
Böhtl. Ind. Spr.	Böhtlingk. Indische Sprüche (Indian Sentences).
Br.	Brockhaus.
Brāhmaṇ.	Brāhmaṇavilāpa, an episode of the MBh., ed. Bopp.
Brāhmaṇav.	Brāhmaṇavilāpa, an episode of the MBh., ed. Bopp.
Brahmav. P.	Brahmavaivarta-Purāṇa, ed. Stenzler.
Śāk.	Śākuntala, ed. Böhtlingk.
Śāntiś.	Śāntiśataka, in Häberlin's Sanskrit Anthology.
Śārṅg.	Śārṅgadhara-Paddhati (MSS. used by Böhtl.).
Śatr.	Śatruṃjayamāhātmya, ed. A. Weber.
Cāṇ.	Cāṇakya, published in Häberlin's Anthology, and by Weber in Berl. Monatsb. Hist. Phil. Cl., i. e. in ‘Monthly Reports of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, Class of History and Philology,’ 1864.
Cāt.	Cātaka, in Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlands, i. e. ‘Journal for the Knowledge of the Orient,’ vol. iv.
Caur.	Caurapañcāśikā, in Bohlen's ed. of Bhartṛhari.
Caurap.	Caurapañcāśikā, in Bohlen's ed. of Bhartṛhari.
Chr.	my Sanskrit Chrestomathy.
Śiś.	Śiśupālavadha, 2. ed. Calc.; the ninth book in my Chr.
ŚKD.	Śabdakalpadruma.
Śṛṅgārat.	Śṛṅgāratilaka, ed. Gildemeister, in his edition of the Meghadūta.
Śrut.	Śrutabodha, ed. Brockhaus.
Śukas.	Śukasaptati (MSS. of St. Petersburg).
Śvet. Up.	Śvetāśvataropaniṣad, in Bibliotheca Indica.
Daśak.	Daśakumāracarita, ed. Wilson, partly in my Chr.
Daśar.	Daśa-Rūpa, ed. Fitz-Edward Hall.
Dev.	Devīmāhātmya, ed. Poley.
Draup.	Draupadīpramātha, an episode of the MBh., ed. Bopp.
Ghaṭ.	Ghaṭakarpara, ed. Calc.
Gīt.	Gītagovinda. ed. Lassen.
Gött. Gel. Anz.	Göttinger Gelehrte Anzeigen, i. e. ‘Scientific Reports published in Göttingen.’
Govardhana, Āryā Sapt.	Govardhana Āryāsaptaśatī, ed. Soma Nath Mookerjea.
Govardh. Āryā Sapt.	Govardhana Āryāsaptaśatī, ed. Soma Nath Mookerjea.
Govardh. Āryā Saptaśatī	Govardhana Āryāsaptaśatī, ed. Soma Nath Mookerjea.
Häb.	Kāvya Sangraha, ‘A Sanskrit Anthology,’ by John Häberlin.
Häberl.	Kāvya Sangraha, ‘A Sanskrit Anthology,’ by John Häberlin.
Häberl. Chr.	Kāvya Sangraha, ‘A Sanskrit Anthology,’ by John Häberlin.
Häberl. Anth.	Kāvya Sangraha, ‘A Sanskrit Anthology,’ by John Häberlin.
Häberl. Anthol.	Kāvya Sangraha, ‘A Sanskrit Anthology,’ by John Häberlin.
Hariv.	Harivaṃśa, ed. Calc.
Hiḍ.	Hiḍimbavadha, an episode of the MBh., ed. Bopp.
Hit.	Hitopadeśa, ed. of Lassen, and when followed by M.M.,that of Max Müller. When followed by two Arabian numerals, the first denotes the page, the second the line; when followed by a Roman and Arabian numeral, the first denotes the book, the second the distich.
Indr.	Indralokāgamana, an episode of the MBh., ed. Bopp.
Johns. Sel.	Johnson's Selections from the Mahābhārata.
Kām. Nītis.	Kāmandakīya Nītisāra, in Bibliotheca Indica.
Kāmand. Nītis.	Kāmandakīya Nītisāra, in Bibliotheca Indica.
Kathās.	Kathāsaritsāgara, ed. Brockhaus.
Kāvya Prak.	Kāvya Prakaśa, 2. ed. Calcutta, 1865.
Kāvya Pr.	Kāvya Prakaśa, 2. ed. Calcutta, 1865.
Kir.	Kirātārjunīya, 2. ed. Calc., 1846, and the fifth book in my Chr.
Kirāt.	Kirātārjunīya, 2. ed. Calc., 1846, and the fifth book in my Chr.
Kull.	Kullūka Schol. ed. Man.
Kumāras.	Kumārasaṃbhava, ed. Stenzler.

+ 54 more — see the full list in the source file

Grammatical & general 30

adhy.	adhyāya.
A.S.	Anglo-Saxon.
Ātm.	Ātmanepada.
Caus.	Causal.
C.	Chezy.
Comp.	Compound.
comp.	compound
d.	distich.
denomin.	denominative.
desid.	desiderative.
frequent.	frequentative.
frequentat.	frequentative.
Frequentat.	frequentative.
Desid.	desiderative.
Frequent.	frequentative.
Goth.	Gothic.
Grammar.	Grammarians.
Icel.	Icelandic.
Lat.	Latin.
N.H.G.	New High German.
N.N.L.	New Netherlandis or Dutch.
O.H.G.	Old High German.
O.N.	Old Norse.
Par.	Parasmaipada.
Part.	particle.
Pr.	prologue.
Prākṛ.	Prākṛt.
Ssk.	Sanskrit.
Sskr.	Sanskrit.
Swed.	Swedish.

At a glance​

When to use it​

Looking up a word​

Reading an entry​

What makes it distinctive​

Headword key conventions​

Abbreviations​

See also​