Meanings
plural abhishekas · alternative abhiseka · alternative abhishekha · alternative abhishekam
- IndiaA ceremony involving ritual washing, cleansing or anointing.First known use 19th c.
I paid the head priest for the abhishekh and asked him if I could have some privacy for a few moments.
1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 1151 more example
The origins os the abhisheka lay in Vedic ritual; it was an intricate procedure involving several baths and changes of vestments.
2016, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, published 2017, page 145
Origin
Transliteration of Sanskrit अभिषेक (abhiṣeka, “consecration, anointing of a king”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Hindi अभिषेक
- अभिषेक (abhiṣek)Indian ceremony involving washing, cleansing and anointing
Portuguese abhisheka
- abhishekaIndian ceremony involving washing, cleansing and anointing
Tamil அபிஷேகம்
- அபிஷேகம் (apiṣēkam)Indian ceremony involving washing, cleansing and anointing
Cite this entry
abhisheka. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abhisheka
“abhisheka.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abhisheka. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abhisheka,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abhisheka.
Source: abhisheka on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.