Sanskrit Panchatantra
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The word is not a true name, but means "wise man" (Arab, bidbah), and was applied to the chief scholar at the court of an Indian prince.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Sanskrit Panchatantra” mean?
The word is not a true name, but means "wise man" (Arab, bidbah), and was applied to the chief scholar at the court of an Indian prince.
Is “Sanskrit Panchatantra” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.