annāda

 In Sanskrit, annāda most commonly means “eater of food” or “one who consumes food,” and is also used as an epithet of Viṣṇu.

Key meaning (Sanskrit):

• “Eater of food” — a standard adjectival meaning found in classical sources such as the Taittirīya Upaniṣad

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• Defined as “eating food” in multiple Sanskrit dictionaries

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• As a noun, it can refer to Viṣṇu

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How the word is formed

• anna = food, grain
• ada (from the root ad) = to eat
  → annāda = “one who eats food”

Additional traditional uses

• In Vedic and classical literature, annāda can describe beings or deities who “partake of food” or “consume offerings”

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• Feminine forms (annādī, annādā) also occur in Vedic texts

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Distinguishing from similar words

The search results also include annada (अन्नद), which means “giver of food”—the opposite sense—used for deities like Śiva or Durgā

Wisdom Library

. This is a different compound (anna + da, “to give”).

Summary

• annāda (अन्नाद) = eater of food; one who consumes food; epithet of Viṣṇu
• annada (अन्नद) = giver of food (different word)