gāyatrá m. n. a song, hymn RV. VS. xi, 8 ChUp. ii, 11, 1
• n. a hymn composed in the Gāyatrī metre RV.
• the Gāyatrī metre VP. i, 5, 52
• N. of a Sāman ŚBr. ix KātyŚr.
• mf(ī)n. consisting in or connected with the Gāyatrī (e.g. in accordance with the number of syllables of a Gāyatrī verse) VS. TS. &c
• with vrata, = brahma-carya BhP. x, 45, 29
• (ī), f. an ancient metre of twentyfour syllables (variously arranged, but generally as a triplet of eight syllables each), any hymn composed in the Gāyatrī metre RV. x, 14 ; 16 & 130, 4 VS. AV. &c
• the Gāyatrī (i.e. RV. iii, 62, 10 .; tát savitúr váreṇyam bhárgo devásya dhīmahi dhíyo yó naḥ pracodáyât ŚBr. xiv ŚāṅkhGṛ. MBh. &c
• this is a very sacred verse repeated by every Brāhman at his morning and evening devotions
• from being addressed to Savitṛi or the Sun as generator, it is also called Sāvitrī
• cf. RTL. pp. 19 ; 342 ; 361 ; 403
• the Gāyatrī verse is personified as a goddess, the wife of Brahmā and mother of the four Vedas Hariv. 11666 ff
• it is often mentioned in connection with the Amṛita, both together constituting as it were the essence and type of sacred hymns in general AV.
• the Gāyatrī personified is also considered as the mother of the first three classes in their capacity of twice-born W.
• cf. RTL. pp. 200 f
• some other verse [perhaps RV. x, 9, 1] is denoted by Gāyatrī Suśr. vi, 28, 7
• with Tāntrikas a number of mystical verses are called Gāyatrīs, and each deity has one in particular)
• N. of Durgā MatsyaP. Kathās. liii, 172
• Acacia Catechu L.
 

Sanskrit-English Dictionary, by M. Monier William