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Where does the word "lakh" come from? It comes from Sanskrit laksha, passing through Hindi before entering English (1700s-1800s).
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Where does the word "lakh" come from? It comes from Sanskrit laksha, passing through Hindi before entering English (1700s-1800s).
Lakh’s story begins in Sanskrit: laksha meant “one hundred thousand.” By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as lakh. Used as a unit for counting large sums, especially money. It reached English by 1700s-1800s as lakh. Sanskrit 'laksha', mark; Indian English writes 1,00,000 for one lakh. Today, lakh means in South Asian numbering, a unit equal to one hundred thousand.
- Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient laksha "one hundred thousand", meaning "one hundred thousand".
- Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval lakh "one hundred thousand", used as a unit for counting large sums, especially money.
- Stage 3 · English · 1700s-1800s lakh "the number one hundred thousand", Sanskrit 'laksha', mark; Indian English writes 1,00,000 for one lakh.