Nirankar () is one of the many attributes associated to God in Sikhism and means The Formless One.
Etymology The word has its roots in the Sanskrit word nirākārā () and is a compound of two words: nir, which means "without", and akar (ākār), which means "shape" or "form". Therefore, the term is translated as 'The Formless'.
Meaning and usage The term is used as one of the names of God by Sikhs.
It finds usage in the Guru Granth Sahib:
Conjunction The words is sometime conjoined with other terms. Some examples are below:
Nirankar Purusha Nirankar Alepa
History The term was first used to describe the divine by Guru Nanak. He described the Akal Purakh, the ultimate reality or 'timeless being', as nirankar, adding that it cannot be expressed through words. The name later would become the namesake of the Nirankari sect founded by Baba Dayal Singh.
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