bodhisattva

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌbəʊdɪˈsætvə/, /ˌbəʊdiːˈsʌtvə/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(bō′də sut′və)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Bo•dhi•satt•va  (bō′də sut′və),USA pronunciation n. [Buddhism.]
  1. Eastern Religionsa person who has attained prajna, or Enlightenment, but who postpones Nirvana in order to help others to attain Enlightenment: individual Bodhisattvas are the subjects of devotion in certain sects and are often represented in painting and sculpture. Cf. Arhat.
  • Pali, Sanskrit
  • 1820–30

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Bodhisattva / ˌbəʊdɪˈsætvə -wə ˌbɒd- ˌbəʊdiːˈsʌtvə/
  1. (in Mahayana Buddhism) a divine being worthy of nirvana who remains on the human plane to help people to salvation
Etymology: Sanskrit, literally: one whose essence is enlightenment, from bodhi enlightenment + sattva essence
'bodhisattva' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Arhat - Avalokitesvara - Manjusri - Prajnā-Paramita - bo tree - karuna - nirvana

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