# आचार (ācāra)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/achara

आचार (ācāra) is a Sanskrit word meaning good conduct or behavior, an established rule of conduct or precept, a rule or line, with Buddhists, agreeing with what is taught by the teacher, the plant Hingtsha repens, no definition given. Its 18 recorded definitions are grouped into 7 contexts, among them General: Conduct, Custom, and Rule, Rule, Ordinance, and Precept, Linguistic and Referential Information.

- **Root:** चर् (car)
- **Etymology:** E. आङ्, चर to go, घञ् aff — E. āṅ, cara to go, ghañ aff
- **SLP1:** `AcAra`  **IAST:** ācāra  **Devanagari:** आचार
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%80c%C4%81ra
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/achara/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** आचर (ācara), अचर (acara)

## Meanings by context

### General: Conduct, Custom, and Rule (9 definitions)
- 1. Behaviour or good conduct. 2. Custom, observance, or rule.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 037-3 ] आचार (ācāra) ā-cāra, m. behaviour; good conduct; usage, custom, observance, rule: °—, customary: -maya, a. ceremonious, devoted to etiquette; -lājā, m. f. pl. customary parched grain; -vat, a. well-behaved, virtuous; -vyapeta, pp. diverging from usage; -apeta, a. id.; -hīna, pp. neglectful of the rules of conduct. [ ID=3455 ]
- 1. An established rule of conduct or precept. 2. Custom, practice, or usage.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 106 ] आचार (ācāra) m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1 An established rule of conduct, an ordinance, an institute, a precept. 2 Custom, practice, usage. E. आङ्, चर (āṅ, cara) to go, घञ् (ghañ) aff. [ ID=5127 ]
- 1. Precept. 2. Conduct.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 084-a ] आ - चार (ā-cāra) ( रः ) ((raḥ)) 1. m. Precept; conduct. [ ID=4488 ]
- 1. A fixed rule of conduct. 2. A custom or usage. 3. Behaviour.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 095-41 ] आचार (ācāra) m. 1. Any fixed rule of conduct in life, चतुर्णामपि वर्णानामाचारश्चैव शाश्वतः (caturṇāmapi varṇānāmācāraścaiva śāśvataḥ) M. i.107; 2. a custom, usage, तस्मिन् देशो य आचार (ācāra) ः पारंपर्यक्रमागतः (tasmin deśo ya ācāraḥ pāraṃparyakramāgataḥ) M. ii.18, or आचार (ācāra) इत्यधिकृतेन मया गृहीता (ācāra ityadhikṛtena mayā gṛhītā) Sak. v.; 3. conduct, behaviour. [ ID=4814 ]
- 1. An established rule of conduct or precept. 2. Custom or practice.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 087-b ] आचार (ācāra) m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1. An established rule of conduct, an ordinance, an institute, a precept. 2. Custom, practice, usage. E. आङ् (āṅ) before चर् (car) to go, घञ् (ghañ) aff. [ ID=5125 ]
- 1. Rule of conduct. 2. Good custom or conduct. 3. Conduct. 4. Sacred usage. 5. Use. 6. Rule.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 0072-a ] आचार (ācāra) ācāra, i. e. ā-car + a, m. 1. Rule of conduct, Man. 2, 69. 2. Good custom, good conduct, Sāv. 6, 16. 3. Conduct, Rām. 6, 10, 24. 4. Sacred usage, Ragh. 2, 10. 5. Use, Śāk. d. 100. 6. Rule. MBh. 3, 166. — Comp. Dakṣiṇa-, adj. conducting one's self honestly, MBh. 4, 167. Duḥkha-, adj., f. rā, one who is difficult to dead with, MBh. 4, 274. Dus-, I. m. bad con- duct, ib. 12, 4539. II. adj., f. rā, fol- lowing bad customs, Man. 4, 157. Kāma-, adj. following one's own will, Daśak. in Chr. 200, 8. Sadācāra i. e. sant- ( ptcple. pres. of 1. as ), m. 1. approved usage, Man. 2, 18. 2. virtuous conduct. [ ID=1420 ]
- 1. Conduct or good behavior. 2. Custom, usage, or institute.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 059 ] आचार (ācāra) m. conduct, (good) behaviour; custom, usage, ordinance, institute; abl. in ° तस् (°tas). [ ID=4068 ]
- 1. Conduct or behavior. 2. Customary usage or observance.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 124-b ] ācāra, m. walk and conversation; conduct; usage; observance. [ √car + ā. ] [ ID=583 ]
- 1. Conduct or behavior. 2. Good conduct or virtue. 3. Custom, practice, or usage. 4. An established rule, ordinance, or precept.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 0115-a ] Ā-cāra, as, m. conduct, manner of action; beha- viour; good conduct, good behaviour; custom, prac- tice, usage; an established rule of conduct, an ordi- nance, an institute, a precept; manner of conducting one's self, diet; rule; [cf. Hib. acara, ‘convenience, conveniency, use.’] —Ācāra-candrikā, f. title of a work on the religious customs of the Śūdras. —Ācāra- tantra, am, n. one of the four classes of Tantras with Buddhists. —Ācāra-dīpa, as, m. ‘lamp of re- ligious customs,’ title of a work. —Ācāra-bhraṣṭa, as, ā, am, fallen from established usage, apostate. —Ācāra-mayūkha, as, m. ‘ray of religious cus- toms,’ title of a work. —Ācāra-vat, ān, atī, at, well- conducted, virtuous. —Ācāra-varijita, as, ā, am, irregular, out of rule; outcast. —Ācāra-viruddha, as, ā, am, contrary to custom. —Ācāra-vedī, f. ‘altar of religious customs,’ a N. of Āryāvarta. —Ā- cāra-hīna, as, ā, am, deprived of established ordi- nances, outcast. —Ācārāṅga (°ra-aṅ°), am, n. title of the first of the twelve sacred books of the Jainas. —Ācārādarśa (°ra-ād°), as, m. ‘looking-glass of religious customs,’ title of a work. —Ācārārka (°ra-ar°), as, m. ‘sun of religious customs,’ title of a work. —Ācārollāsa (°ra-ull°), as, m. ‘light of religious customs,’ title of a work. [ ID=8155 ]

### Rule, Ordinance, and Precept (3 definitions)
- An established rule of conduct or precept  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > an established rule of conduct, ordinance, institute, precept [ ID=22910 ]
- A rule or line  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a rule or line, Mahābhārata (Title) iii, 166 [ ID=22911 ]
- With Buddhists, agreeing with what is taught by the teacher  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (with Buddhists) agreeing with what is taught by the teacher, Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha (Title) [ ID=22913 ]

### Linguistic and Referential Information (2 definitions)
- Same as acarika  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > = आचारिक (ācārika) below, Suśruta (Title) [ ID=22912 ]
- No definition given; this entry only refers to the related verb form.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 132,1] आ - (ā-) चार (ā-cāra) b &c. See आ - (ā-) √ चर् (√car). [ ID=22959 ]

### Botanical: Name of a Plant (ācārī) (1 definition)
- the plant Hingtsha repens  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 131,3] आ - चारी (ā-cārī) f. the plant Hingtsha Repens, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=22914 ]

### Custom, Usage, and Tradition (1 definition)
- Custom, traditional practice, especially as the foundation of law  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > custom, practice, usage, traditional or immemorial usage (as the foundation of law), in the same place [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=22909 ]

### Personal Conduct and Behavior (1 definition)
- Good conduct or behavior  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 131,3] आ (ā)- चार (ā-cāra) a m. ( ifc. f( आ (ā) )., Yājñavalkya (Author) i, 87, &c.) conduct, manner of action, behaviour, good behaviour, good conduct, Manu-smṛti (Title); Mahābhārata (Title) &c. [ ID=22908 ]

### Proper Noun: Name of a Gandharva (1 definition)
- a Gandharva  
  *The Purana Index*
  > आचार (ācāra) [Printed book page 1-148 ] Ācāra — a Gandharva. Br. III. 7. 11. [ ID=1173 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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