Śāstra (शास्त्र, IPA: [ʃaːst̪rə]) is Sanskrit for "rules" in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice in modern neologisms, e.g. bhautikashastra "physics", rasayanashastra "chemistry", jīvashastra "biology", vastushastra "architectural science", shilpashastra "science of sculpture", arthashastra "economics" and nītishastra "political science".