Meaning · Origin · Etymology
Lakh
लाख · lākh
Hindi/Sanskrit
“A word for "hundred thousand" became the marker of Indian wealth.”
Lākh comes from Sanskrit lakṣa, meaning "a hundred thousand" or "a mark, sign." The connection: a lakh is a significant number, worth marking.
The Indian number system has always been distinct: lakhs (100,000) and crores (10,000,000) rather than millions and billions. This system dates back to ancient India.
British colonials adopted the word for large numbers in Indian contexts. "Lakh" appears in colonial records, novels, and eventually general English.
The word also gives us "lac"—the red resin secreted by the lac insect. A lakh of insects produces a significant amount of resin.
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Today
Lakh remains essential to Indian economic life. Salaries, populations, prices are all quoted in lakhs. The word marks cultural difference: to think in lakhs is to think in the Indian number system.
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