As a deity name
Name 38 of the Durga Sahasranāma — Kula Arnava Tantra / Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
Name 175 of the Vishnu Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Bhishma to Yudhishthira on his deathbed
As a Hindi name
महाशक्ति · noun · masculine
कार्तिकेय · शिव · पुराण- नुसार कृष्ण के एक पुत्र का नाम — Śabdasāgara
महाशक्ति · noun · feminine
दुर्गा — Śabdasāgara
महाशक्ति · feminine
great power (a state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale)
a Hindi word; it is not Sanskrit
“महा (mahā) + शक्ति (śakti).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
very powerful or mighty (said of Śiva)
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (7)Why this matches what you typed
The spelling you confirmed, महाशक्ति, is itself a dictionary headword — no grammatical transformation stands between what you typed and the meaning above.
Gender counterpart
The kosha attests this stem in the feminine, the masculine, and the neuter — the same name serves without alteration.
Dictionary citations
mahā—śakti mfn. very powerful or mighty (said of Śiva), Śivag.
mahā—śakti m. N. of Kārttikeya, L.
of a son of Kṛṣṇa, BhP.
of a poet, Cat.
mahāśakti m. (-ktiḥ) KĀRTTIKEYA the martial deity of the Hindus. E. mahā great, śakti power.
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