devadasi
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From the Sanskrit देवदासी (devá-dāsī, “female servant of a deity”), from देव (devá, “deity, god”) and दासी (dāsī, “a female servant or slave”).
[edit] Noun
devadasi (plural devadasis)
- (Hinduism) A girl that underwent Hindu religious practice in which they would be "married" to a deity. In addition to taking care of the temple, she learned and practiced Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian arts traditions, and enjoyed a high social status.
