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Monier-Williams, A Dictionary, English and Sanskrit (MWE)

Before the famous Sanskrit→English dictionary, Monier Williams compiled the reverse work: A Dictionary, English and Sanskrit (1851). You look up an English word and get its Sanskrit equivalents, grouped by sense with grammatical and usage notes — the tool for composing Sanskrit rather than reading it.

At a glance​

CodeMWE (no dedicated repo — source in csl-orig)
Full titleA Dictionary, English and Sanskrit
AuthorMonier Williams
Year / size1851 · ~860 pages
DirectionEnglish → Sanskrit
Sourcecsl-orig/v02/mwe/
OpenBasic · List · Advanced · Mobile
DataDownloads · Scans
csl-docmwe.rst (front matter / preface)

When to use it​

Use MWE for composition — when you know the English word and need Sanskrit options. It is one of three English→Sanskrit dictionaries on the site, alongside Apte's AE (ApteES) and Borooah's BOR; see the catalog for all three. For reading Sanskrit, use the Monier-Williams Sanskrit→English (MW) instead.

Reading an entry​

The English headword is the key; {%…%} marks the English part-of-speech and sense labels, and {#…#} holds the Sanskrit equivalents (SLP1), with conjugation classes noted in parentheses. The entry for abandon (csl-orig/v02/mwe/mwe.txt):

<L>3<pc>001-a<k1>abandon<k2>abandon
{%To%} ABANDON¦, {%v. a.%} {#tyaj#} (c. 1. {#tyajati, tyaktuM#}), {#parityaj, santyaj; hA#}
(c. 3. {#jahAti, hAtuM#}), {#apahA, vihA, prahA, apAhA; utsfj#} (c. 6. {#-sfjati, -srazwuM#}), …
<LEND>
In the sourceMeaning
<k1>abandonthe English headword (the search key)
{%v. a.%}the English grammatical label (verb active)
{#tyaj#}a Sanskrit equivalent, in SLP1
(c. 1. {#tyajati, tyaktuM#})conjugation class and principal forms

See Data Formats for the full markup reference.

What makes it distinctive​

  • It runs English → Sanskrit — the opposite of most dictionaries on the site.
  • Monier-Williams' earlier work (1851), predating his standard Sanskrit→English (1872 / 1899). The two are different dictionaries, not editions of one another.
  • For producing Sanskrit, it gives ranked equivalents with the grammar you need to use them.

See also​