Note: the Hindi and Sanskrit paths disagree here — the Hindi dictionary reading is negative (“hell”) while the Sanskrit reading is not. Both are shown below; read them together before choosing.
As a Hindi name
Note: the Hindi and Sanskrit paths disagree here — the Hindi dictionary reading is negative (“hell”) while the Sanskrit reading is not. Both are shown below; read them together before choosing.
लोक
सृष्टि सिरजति यह माया । तुम तें दूरि मलमई काया । नंद॰ ग्रं॰, पृ॰ ३१५ — Śabdasāgara
लोक · loka · s.m.
The world, the universe, a world, a division of the universe (in general three Lokas are enumerated, Svarg-lok, 'heavenʼ, Pātāl, 'hell'; and Mr̤itya-bhavan, 'earth.' Another classification enumerates 1˚ Bhūr-lok, 'earth': 2˚ Svarg-lok, 'heaven'; 3˚ Bhūvar-lok, 'intermediate space.' A fuller classification enumerates fourteen; see Monier Williams' Sanskrit Dictionary, s.v. loka) — Platts (1884), digital edition courtesy DSAL, University of Chicago, p. 969
लोक · masculine
public; folk; world
a Hindi word, a tatsama: the Sanskrit word borrowed unchanged into Hindi लोक — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Learned borrowing from Sanskrit लोक (loka). Doublet of लोग (log) and लोअ (loa).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
loka m. (connected with roka; in the oldest texts loka is generally preceded by u, which accord. to the Padap. = the particle 3. u; but u may be a prefixed vowel and uloka, a collateral dialectic form of loka; accord. to others u-loka is abridged from uru- or ava-loka), free or open space, room, place, scope, free motion, RV.; AV.; Br.; ĀśvŚr. (acc. with √ kṛ or √ dā or anu-√ nī, ‘to make room, grant freedom’; loke with gen. ‘instead of’)
intermediate space, Kauś.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
the wide space or world (either ‘the universe’ or ‘any division of it’, esp. ‘the sky or heaven’; 3 Lokas are commonly enumerated, viz. heaven, earth, and the atmosphere or lower r…
Verified derivationMultiple readings (13)Why this matches what you typed
M3 · meaning shifts "loka" is derived from "lo" with the ka/kan suffix — a related word whose meaning shifts, so both meanings are shown.
lo mfn. (fr. lavaya; nom. laus), Pāṇ. i, 1, 58, Vārtt. 2, Pat.
lo m. N. of a man, Rājat.
loka m. (connected with roka; in the oldest texts loka is generally preceded by u, which accord. to the Padap. = the particle 3. u; but u may be a prefixed vowel and uloka, a collateral dialectic form of loka; accord. to others u-loka is abridged from uru- or ava-loka), free or open space, room, place, scope, free motion, RV.; AV.; Br.; ĀśvŚr. (acc. with √ kṛ or √ dā or anu-√ nī, ‘to make room, grant freedom’; loke with gen. ‘instead of’)
intermediate space, Kauś.
Dictionary citations
loka m. (connected with roka; in the oldest texts loka is generally preceded by u, which accord. to the Padap. = the particle 3. u; but u may be a prefixed vowel and uloka, a collateral dialectic form of loka; accord. to others u-loka is abridged from uru- or ava-loka), free or open space, room, place, scope, free motion, RV.; AV.; Br.; ĀśvŚr. (acc. with √ kṛ or √ dā or anu-√ nī, ‘to make room, grant freedom’; loke with gen. ‘instead of’)
intermediate space, Kauś.
a tract, region, district, country, province, ŚBr.
the wide space or world (either ‘the universe’ or ‘any division of it’, esp. ‘the sky or heaven’; 3 Lokas are commonly enumerated, viz. heaven, earth, and the atmosphere or lower regions; sometimes only the first two; but a fuller classification gives 7 worlds, viz. Bhūr-l˚, the earth; Bhuvar-l˚, the space between the earth and sun inhabited by Munis, Siddhas &c.; Svarloka, Indra's heaven above the sun or between it and the polar star; Maharloka, a region above the polar star and inhabited by Bhṛgu and other saints who survive the destruction of the 3 lower worlds; Janarloka, inhabited by Brahmā's son Sanat-kumāra &c.; Tapar-loka, inh˚ by deified Vairāgins; Satya-loka or Brahma-l˚, abode of Brahmā, translation to which exempts from rebirth ; elsewhere these 7 worlds are described as earth, sky, heaven, middle region, place of re-births, mansion of the blest, and abode of truth; sometimes 14 worlds are mentioned, viz. the 7 above, and 7 lower regions called in the order of their descent below the earth — A-tala, Vi-tala, Su-tala, Rasā-tala, Talā-tala, Mahā-tala, and Pātāla; cf. RTL. 102 n. 1; IW. 420, 1; 435, 1), AV. &c. &c.
N. of the number ‘seven’ (cf. above), VarBṛS., Sch.
lo mfn. (fr. lavaya; nom. laus), Pāṇ. i, 1, 58, Vārtt. 2, Pat.
lo m. N. of a man, Rājat.
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