upanayana

U1P3A1N1A1Y4A1N1A1
/uːpəˈnɑːjənə/

noun

An initiation ceremony undergone by Hindu boys over the age of seven belonging to the highest three castes, marking the start of their formal education.

OriginSanskrit उपनयन →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounupanayana (plural upanayanas)

plural upanayanas

  1. HinduismAn initiation ceremony undergone by Hindu boys over the age of seven belonging to the highest three castes, marking the start of their formal education.

    An Aryan boy had to undergo the upanayana that initiated him into the study of the Veda and the sacrificial procedure, or he would never be able to build a fully realized atman.

    2006, Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation, Atlantic Books, published 2007, page 83

Origin

  1. Sanskritउपनयन
  2. Englishupanayana

From Sanskrit उपनयन (upanayana).

More words from Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“upanayana.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upanayana. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “upanayana,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upanayana.

Source: upanayana on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.