Buddha

[ boo-duh, bood-uh ]

noun
  1. Prince Siddhāttha or Siddhartha, 566?–c480 b.c., Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism. : Also called But·su [boot-soo, boot-; Japanese boo-tsoo], /ˈbʊt su, ˈbut-; Japanese ˈbu tsʊ/, Gau·ta·ma [gaw-tuh-muh, gou-], /ˈgɔ tə mə, ˈgaʊ-/, Gautama Buddha, Gou·ta·ma [gaw-tuh-muh, goh-], /ˈgɔ tə mə, ˈgoʊ-/, Gou·ta·ma Buddha .

  2. any of a series of teachers in Buddhism, of whom Gautama was the last, who bring enlightenment and wisdom.

  1. (sometimes lowercase)Buddhism. a person who has attained full prajna, or enlightenment; Arhat.

Origin of Buddha

1
First recorded in 1675–85; from Sanskrit: “awakened” (budh- “awaken, notice, understand” + -ta past participle suffix)

Words Nearby Buddha

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How to use Buddha in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for buddha (1 of 2)

buddha

/ (ˈbʊdə) /


noun
  1. Buddhism (often capital) a person who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment

  2. an image or picture of the Buddha

Origin of buddha

1
C17: from Sanskrit: awakened, enlightened, from budh to awake, know

British Dictionary definitions for Buddha (2 of 2)

Buddha

/ (ˈbʊdə) /


noun
  1. the Buddha ?563–483 bc, a title applied to Gautama Siddhartha, a nobleman and religious teacher of N India, regarded by his followers as the most recent rediscoverer of the path to enlightenment: the founder of Buddhism

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