Panditpuran (Sanskrit: पण्डित, romanized: paṇḍita; Hindi: पंडित;[1] also spelled pundit, pronounced /ˈpʌndɪt, ˈpændɪt/;[2] abbreviated as Pt. or Pdt.), (Panditani or Panditain, can refer to a female pundit or the wife of a pundit) is a Brahmin scholar[3] or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism,[1] particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, Hindu philosophy, or secular subjects such as music.[4] He may be a Guru in a Gurukul.
In Sanskrit, states Monier Williams, Pandit generally refers to any "wise, educated or learned man" with specialized knowledge.[5] The term is derived from paṇḍ (पण्ड्) which means "to collect, heap, pile up", and this root is used in the sense of knowledge.[6] The term is found in Vedic and post-Vedic texts, but without any sociological context. In the literature of the colonial era, the term generally refers to Brahmins specialized in Hindu law.[7]
The related term Purohit refers to a house priest.[4]