(Sanskrit prākṛta: “natural, usual, vulgar”), Middle Indo-Aryan languages that began as vernacular dialects and eventually developed distinct literary styles. These dialects were often distinguished by regional names, e.g., Śaurasenī, Māgadhī, Mahārāṣṭrī.

Some scholars restrict the Prākrits to the languages used by Hindu and Jain writers; others include the Buddhist languages, such as Pāli and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, and the inscriptional Prākrits. Other Prākrits include the Ardhamāgadhī of the Jain faith and Paiśācī, known through grammarians' statements. The modern languages of India developed from the Prākrits, of which the Apabhraṃśa language (q.v.) was perhaps the latest stage.