Meanings
plural devadasis
- HinduismhistoricalA girl who underwent the Hindu religious practice of being "married" to a deity. In addition to taking care of the temple, she learned and practiced Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian arts, enjoying high social status.
It would be a century before the daughter of another devadasi mesmerized audiences around the world.
2017, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, page 372Synonyms: temple dancer, temple girl
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA girl who underwent the Hindu religious practice of being "married" to a deity. In addition to taking care of the temple, she learned and practiced Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian arts, enjoying high social status.
Origin
- Sanskritदेवदासी“female servant of a deity”
- Englishdevadasi
From the Sanskrit देवदासी (devá-dāsī, “female servant of a deity”), from देव (devá, “deity, god”) and दासी (dāsī, “a female servant or slave”).
More words from Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Tamil தேவதாசி, தேவடியாள்
- தேவதாசி (tēvatāci)devadasi
- தேவடியாள் (tēvaṭiyāḷ)devadasi
Cite this entry
devadasi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devadasi
“devadasi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devadasi. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “devadasi,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devadasi.
Source: devadasi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.