maya

UK: /ˈmaɪə/, /ˈmɑːjə/

US: 'Maya': (mä′yə); 'maya': (mä′yä, -yə)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ma•ya  (mä′yä, -yə), n. [Hinduism.]

1. Eastern Religions the power, as of a god, to produce illusions.
2. Eastern Religions the production of an illusion.
3. Eastern Religions (in Vedantic philosophy) the illusion of the reality of sensory experience and of the experienced qualities and attributes of oneself.
4. Eastern Religions (cap.) Also called Mahamaya. a goddess personifying the power that creates phenomena.

• Sanskrit
• 1815–25

ma′yan, adj. 

Ma•ya  (mä′yə), n., pl. -yas, (esp. collectively) -ya, adj. 
n. 

1. Anthropology, Archaeology a member of a major pre-Columbian civilization of the Yucatán Peninsula that reached its peak in the 9th centurya.d.and produced magnificent ceremonial cities with pyramids, a sophisticated mathematical and calendar system, hieroglyphic writing, and fine sculpture, painting, and ceramics.
2. Anthropology a member of a modern American Indian people of southern Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras who are the descendants of this ancient civilization.
3. Anthropology any of the Mayan languages;
   the historical and modern languages of the Mayas.

adj. 

4. Anthropology Mayan.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Maya / ˈmaɪə ˈmɑːjə ˈmɑːjɑː/ noun

1. the Hindu goddess of illusion, the personification of the idea that the material world is illusory

ˈMayan adjective

Maya / ˈmaɪə/ noun

1. Also called: Mayan ( -ya, -yas) a member of an indigenous people of Yucatan, Belize, and N Guatemala, having an ancient culture once characterized by outstanding achievements in architecture, astronomy, chronology, painting, and pottery
2. the language of this people