Kali Yuga

proper noun

In Hinduism, the fourth and most evil of four stages of development that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas, traditionally thought to have begun at midnight (00:00) on 18 February, 3102 B.C.E. under the Julian calendar (23 January under the Gregorian calendar), and lasts for 432,000 years.

OriginSanskrit कलियुग →
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Kaliyuga · alternative Kali-Yuga · alternative Kalyug

  1. In Hinduism, the fourth and most evil of four stages of development that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas, traditionally thought to have begun at midnight (00:00) on 18 February, 3102 B.C.E. under the Julian calendar (23 January under the Gregorian calendar), and lasts for 432,000 years.

Origin

  1. Sanskritकलियुग“age of darkness”
  2. EnglishKali Yuga

Unadapted borrowing from Sanskrit कलियुग (kaliyuga, “age of darkness”), from कलि (kali, “Kali, Kalipurush, demon of corruption”) + युग (yuga, “yuga”). Some etymologies claim it was named after the worst throw in an ancient Indian dice game.

More words from Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hindi कलियुग, कलि
  • कलियुग (kaliyug)fourth yuga of Hindu cosmology
  • कलि (kali)fourth yuga of Hindu cosmology
Cite this entry
APA

Kali Yuga. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kali%20Yuga

MLA

“Kali Yuga.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kali%20Yuga. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kali Yuga,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kali%20Yuga.

Source: Kali Yuga on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.