noun
rasa
noun
1
In Indian aesthetics, the dominant emotional flavor or mood that a work of art, dance, or drama is designed to evoke in its audience.
"The choreographer built the entire piece around the rasa of longing."
"Classical Indian theatre theory identifies nine core rasas, from love to fear to wonder."
How to Use Rasa
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA term from Indian art and drama theory for the core emotional "flavor" of a piece.
Memory tip
You may recognize this word from the phrase "tabula rasa," but that's unrelated Latin (rasa there means "scraped clean") — this rasa is Sanskrit and means "essence" or "flavor."
Trace the full origin ↓Word Forms
rasas plural
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The choreographer built the entire piece around the _____ of longing.
Etymology
A direct borrowing of Sanskrit rasa, literally "juice" or "essence" — the sense extended from a plant's extractable essence to the emotional "essence" a performance leaves with its audience.