The term 'Prakriti' or 'Prakruti' (Sanskrit: प्रकृति) literally means "making or placing before or at first, the original or natural form or condition of anything, original or primary substance."<ref>Monier-Williams (1899), Monier William's Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., Oxford University Press, Prakriti, page 654 available on [http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/0600/mw__0687.html Prakriti]</ref>
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==Etymology and derivation==
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“Pra” prefix means “principal” and “Kriti” means “creation”. Thus the word convey the meaning “one that is principal factor for creation”. Some other derivations include: (b) “Pra” means “sattvik”, “Kru” means “rajasic” and “ta” means “tamasic” and the word “Prakriti” thus conveys the power of the three gunas. (c) “Pra” means “before” and “Kriti” means creation and so Prakriti means that which existed before creation.<ref>Available from https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/prakriti</ref>
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==Contextual meanings==
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The Prakriti is applied at various places with following different meanings:<ref>Available from https://www.sanskritdictionary.com/?edd=1&q=prak%E1%B9%9Bti&iencoding=iast&lang=sans&x=65&y=14</ref>