mahurat means A time or moment considered lucky for beginning some project; an inauguration, now especially the start of a film production. It carries an Arena rating of 1374, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mahurat ranks #1,921 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #4,166 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #4,661 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #6,570 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
mahurat is pronounced /məˈhuːɹət/.
Why “mahurat” is a great word
A precisely calculated time considered astrologically auspicious for beginning an important undertaking, particularly the ceremonial start of a film production. From Hindi *mahūrat*, from Sanskrit *muhūrta* ('a short space of time, moment, an auspicious moment'). Unlike a 'deadline'—a fixed endpoint heavy with obligation—or a general 'inauguration,' a *mahurat* is a beginning chosen for its cosmic promise. It is the ceremonial first clap of the slate synchronized with a priest's chant, the scent of incense curling on a studio floor, the collective exhalation of a crew waiting for the planets to align—a deliberate, hopeful alignment of human endeavor with the silent mechanics of the sky.
Etymology
From Hindi [Term?], from Sanskrit [Term?].
noun
- A time or moment considered lucky for beginning some project; an inauguration, now especially the start of a film production.e.g.“‘The mahurat, Your Highness, is at nine seventeen in the morning.’” — 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 265:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- muhurta 65% match — A unit of time measurement in the Hindu calendar, approximately 48 minutes. vs mahurat →
- murti 47% match — A sacred image of a deity. vs mahurat →
- matinee 46% match — A showing of a movie, sporting event, or theatrical performance in the morning or afternoon. vs mahurat →
- chronomancy 45% match — The divination of the best time to do something, or the determination of lucky and unlucky days. vs mahurat →
- molad 44% match — On the Hebrew Calendar, the time at which a new month begins. vs mahurat →
- mohur 44% match — A Persian gold coin. vs mahurat →
- maraka 44% match — In Hindu astrology, a planet that causes death at the end of a person's lifespan. vs mahurat →
- midtime 43% match — The time that occurs in the middle; the point midway through an event, etc. vs mahurat →