As a deity name
Name 301 of the Hanuman Sahasranāma — Rasvin Samhita / Brahmanda Purana, as taught by Lord Ram / Sages
Name 66 of the Shiva Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Sage Tandi to Sage Upamanyu
Name 800 of the Surya Sahasranāma — Bhavishya Purana, as taught by Lord Brahma / Sages
As a Hindi name
केतु · noun · masculine
ज्ञान · दीप्ति । प्रकार · ध्वजा । पताका — Śabdasāgara
केतु · noun · masculine
केवडा — Śabdasāgara
केतु · ketu · s.m.
Sign, mark; ensign, flag, banner — Platts (1884), digital edition courtesy DSAL, University of Chicago, p. 888
केतु · masculine
Ketu, one of the Navagrahas, representing the descending lunar node; an Asura who swallows the sun or the moon, causing eclipses
केतु · masculine
comet; banner, flag
a Hindi word, a tatsama: the Sanskrit word borrowed unchanged into Hindi केतु — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Borrowed from Sanskrit केतु (ketu).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
ketu us, m. (fr. √ 4. cit), bright appearance, clearness, brightness (often pl., ‘rays of light’), RV.; VS.; AV.
lamp, flame, torch, ib.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
sign, mark, ensign, flag, banner, &c.
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (2)Why this matches what you typed
The spelling you confirmed, केतु, is itself a dictionary headword — no grammatical transformation stands between what you typed and the meaning above.
Dictionary citations
ketu us, m. (fr. √ 4. cit), bright appearance, clearness, brightness (often pl., ‘rays of light’), RV.; VS.; AV.
lamp, flame, torch, ib.
day-time, ŚāṅkhBr.
(Naigh. iii, 9) apparition, form, shape, RV.; PārGṛ.
sign, mark, ensign, flag, banner, RV.; AV.; MBh. &c.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
Sources contain errors and engines have limits; every claim above carries its citation so you can verify it. This is guidance about names and their sources — not religious or astrological consultation. How we work · Our sources