# शौच (śauca)

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

शौच (śauca) is a Sanskrit word meaning the name of a man, cleanness, purity, purification, purity of mind, integrity, and honesty, self-purification, both external and internal, evacuation of excrement, purification from defilement. Its 14 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them General Purity and Purification, Proper Name / Patronymic, Evacuation of Excrement.

- **Etymology:** E. शुचि purity, अण् aff — E. śuci purity, aṇ aff
- **SLP1:** `SOca`  **IAST:** śauca  **Devanagari:** शौच
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaucha
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/shaucha/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### General Purity and Purification (9 definitions)
- cleanness, purity, purification  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > शौच (śauca) n. cleanness, purity, purification ( esp. from defilement caused by the death of a relation), Āśvalāyana-śrauta-sūtra (Title); Manu-smṛti (Title); Mahābhārata (Title) &c. [ ID=221736 ]
- 1. Cleanness and purity. 2. Integrity and honesty.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 319-1 ] शौच (śauca) śauc-a, n. cleanness, purity ( also ritual ); purification by ( —° ); integrity, honesty: -tva, n. id.; -vat, a. pure ( also fig. ). [ ID=18185 ]
- 1. Purification from personal defilement. 2. Purification after a relative's death. 3. Purity, cleanness.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 859 ] शौच (śauca) n. ( - चं (-caṃ) ) 1 Purification by ablution, &c. from personal defilement. 2 Purification at given periods from defilement caused by the death of a relation, &c. 3 The state or property of freedom from defilement, purity, cleanness. E. शुचि (śuci) purity, अण् (aṇ) aff. [ ID=39016 ]
- Purification by ablution, cleaning, or purity.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 778-b ] शौच (śauca) ( चं ) ((caṃ)) 1. n. Purification by ablution; cleaning, purity. [ ID=38672 ]
- 1. Purification from defilement. 2. Cleansing. 3. Evacuation. 4. Honesty.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 729-21 ] शौच (śauca) n. 1. Purification from defilement (especially from defilement caused by a death in the family); 2. cleansing, M. v.114; 3. evacuation of cxcrement; 4. honesty. [ ID=38383 ]
- 1. Purification by washing or other means. 2. Purification from defilement caused by a relative's death. 3. Purity and cleanness.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 731-a ] शौच (śauca) n. ( - चं (-caṃ) ) 1. Purification by ablution, &c. from personal defilement. 2. Purification at given periods from defilement caused by the death of a relation, &c. 3. The state or property of freedom from defilement, purity, cleanness. E. शुचि (śuci) purity, अण् (aṇ) aff. [ ID=40896 ]
- 1. Purity or cleanness. 2. Honesty. 3. Purification or cleaning.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 0965-a ] शौच (śauca) śauca, i. e. śuci + a, n. 1. Purity, Rājat. 5, 11; cleanness, Pañc. iii. d. 112. 2. Honesty, Pañc. v. d. 2. 3. Purification, Man. 2, 69; clean- ing (of vessels), Pañc. ii. d. 109, cf. Böhtl. Ind. Spr. 3029. — Comp. A-, n. 1. impurity. Man. 11, 183. 2. perfidy, Lass. 21, 9. Artha-, n. purity in acquir- ing wealth, honesty, Man. 5, 106. [ ID=14931 ]
- cleanness, purity, honesty  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 557 ] शौच (śauca) n. cleanness, purification by (—°), purity, honesty. [ ID=33165 ]
- 1. Purification from defilement. 2. Evacuation of excrement. 3. Purity and cleanness. 4. Honesty. 5. A proper name.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 1021-c ] शौच (śauca) śauca, am, n. (fr. śuci ), purification from personal defilement (especially from defilement caused by the death of a relation &c.); evacuation of excrement; freedom from defilement, purity, cleanness; honesty; ( as ), m. a proper N. —Śauca-kalpa, as, m. mode of purification, purificatory rite. —Śauca- kūpa, as, m. ‘cleansing-pit,’ a privy. —Śauca-tva, am, n. purity. —Śauca-vidhi, is, m. rule of purifi- cation (after defilement by the death of a relation &c.), directions for cleansing the person. —Śaucā- cāra (°ca-āc°), as, m. a purificatory rite, rule of purification established by immemorial custom, mode of cleansing the person by ablution &c. (after voiding excrement or contracting any defilement). —Śaucepsu (°ca-īp°), us, us, u, wishing or intending to obtain purification. [ ID=47220 ]

### Proper Name / Patronymic (2 definitions)
- the name of a man  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 1092,3] शौच (śauca) m. ( fr. शुचि (śuci) ) N. of a man (also called Āhneya), Taittirīya-āraṇyaka (Title) [ ID=221735 ]
- A patronymic of a man and teacher also called Ahneya  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > शौच (śauca) [Printed book page 2-395 ] Śauca (‘descendant of Śuci’) is the patronymic of a man, called also Āhneya, who is mentioned as a teacher in the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka (ii. 12). [ ID=3346 ]

### Evacuation of Excrement (1 definition)
- evacuation of excrement  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > evacuation of excrement, Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 1st edition with marginal notes (Title) [ ID=221739 ]

### Moral Purity and Honesty (1 definition)
- purity of mind, integrity, and honesty  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > purity of mind, integrity, honesty ( esp. in money-matters), Mahābhārata (Title); Rāmāyaṇa (Title) &c. [ ID=221737 ]

### Self-Purification (Buddhist) (1 definition)
- self-purification, both external and internal  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (with Buddhists) self-purification (both external and internal), Monier-Williams’ Buddhism in its connexion with Brāhmaṇism and Hindūism: and in its contrast with Christianity (Title) 240 [ ID=221738 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; 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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