1776, from Sanskrit rigveda, from rg- "praise, hymn, spoken stanza," literally "brightness," from PIE *erkw- "to radiate, beam; praise" + veda "knowledge," from PIE *weid-o-, from root *weid- "to know, see" (see vision, n.). A thousand hymns, orally transmitted, probably dating from before 1000 B.C.E. Related: Rig-vedic.