Meanings
nounkirtan (plural kirtans)
plural kirtans
- A call-and-response chant performed in India's devotional traditions.
She was not devout or overly religious but she went to temples and kirtans regularly.
1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 1371 more example
Recently, Mrs. Breighner and Ms. Damon attended a Friday night kirtan at the Integral Yoga Institute.
2009 March 5, Sara Eckel, “Yoga Enthusiasts Hear the Call of Kirtan”, in New York Times
Origin
- Sanskritकीर्तन“narrating”
- Englishkirtan
From Sanskrit कीर्तन (kīrtana, “narrating”).
More words from Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
kirtan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kirtan
MLA
“kirtan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kirtan. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kirtan,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kirtan.
Source: kirtan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.