Sanskrit

Root

रक्ष् • ‎(rakṣ)

1. cl.1 P. (Dhātup. xvii, 6) रक्षति (Ved. and mc. also °ते ; pf. ररक्ष RV. &c. ; aor. अरक्षीत् AV. &c. ; अराक्षीत् Br. ; Prec. रक्ष्यात् Gr. ; fut. रक्षिता MBh. ; रक्षिष्यति Cond. अरक्षिष्यत् ib. ; रक्ष्ये R. ; inf. रक्षितुम् MBh.), to guard, watch, take care of, protect, save, preserve (‘from’ abl.) RV.. &c.
2. to tend (cattle) Mn.. MBh.. R..
3. to rule (the earth or a country) MBh.. Rājat.
4. to keep (a secret) Kathās.
5. to spare, have regard to (another's feelings) Mālav.
6. to observe (a law, duty &c.) RV. MBh.
7. to guard against, ward off, keep away, prevent, frustrate, injure AV. v, 1
8. to beware of Kathās.
9. (Ā.) to heed, attend to (loc.) RV.
10. (Ā.) to conceal, hide (?) RV. ix, 68, 4
11. to conceal one's self, be afraid (?) ib. x, 68, 1 : Caus. रक्षयति, °ते (aor. अररक्षत् Pāṇ. 7-4, 93 Sch.), to guard, watch, save or protect from (abl.) Kāv. Pañcat. : Desid. रिरक्षति, to wish to guard, intend to protect from (abl.) MBh. : Intens. » रारक्षाण. ([Prob. a kind of Desid. of some root like रज् or रज्ज् ; cf. Gk. ἀ-λέξω, ἀρκέω ; Lat. arx, arceo.])

Derived terms

• रक्षक ‎(rakṣaka)
• रक्षण ‎(rakṣaṇa)
• रक्षा ‎(rakṣā)
• रक्षित ‎(rakṣita)

References

• Sir Monier Monier-Williams (1898) A Sanskrit-English dictionary etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 0859