The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Apte originally designed the dictionary to serve both students and advanced readers of Sanskrit. His stated objective was to provide a practical lexicon that combined accurate English meanings with grammatical analysis, textual evidence and information on compounds and derivatives. The introductory “Directions” explain the treatment of roots, compounds, word order, grammatical forms and derivative formations. 

The revised editors expanded this framework considerably. The preface specifically notes the incorporation of additional vocabulary and the consultation of scholars and specialized sources in preparing the enlarged edition. 

The dictionary proper begins after the introductory materials with Sanskrit entries arranged alphabetically and presented in dense two-column format with English explanations, grammatical notation and textual references. 

The volume includes:

• Preface to the Revised and Enlarged Edition

• Apte’s original Preface to The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

• Additional editorial prefaces

• Life of Principal V. S. Apte

• Publisher’s Note

• Directions to Be Studied Before Using This Dictionary

• Explanation of Terminations Used in the Derivation of Words

• List of Abbreviations Used in the Dictionary

• Grammatical and Other Abbreviations and Symbols

• Supplementary List of Abbreviations