pagoda
Americannoun
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in India, Myanmar (Burma), China, etc., a temple or sacred building, usually a pyramidlike tower and typically having upward-curving roofs over the individual stories.
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any of several former gold or silver coins of southern India, usually bearing a figure of such a temple, first issued in the late 16th century and later also by British, French, and Dutch traders.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of pagoda
First recorded in 1625–35; from Portuguese pagode “temple,” ultimately from Persian butkada ( but “idol” + kada “temple, dwelling”)
Explanation
A pagoda is a tiered building that rises to a point. Most pagodas have some religious significance and are found in Asia. One particular type of Buddhist or Taoist temple rises in the shape of a pyramid or a rounded pyramid — this is called a pagoda. The word may make you think of China or Japan, and in fact most pagodas are found in those two countries, as well as other parts of Asia, including Cambodia, Nepal, and India. Pagoda comes from the Portuguese pagode, although its origin is uncertain. One possible root is the Tamil word pagavadi, "house belonging to a deity."
Vocabulary lists containing pagoda
East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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East Asia - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At Amarapura's Nagayon Pagoda, a Buddha statue reduced to just two legs and hands on a pedestal has been fully restored, looking out with a serene gaze.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
It is closed southbound from the Pagoda Island to Bromsgrove Street and is expected to remain closed for some time.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025
Liang said his parents are staying at the Best Western and will be moved to the Royal Pagoda Motel at the end of the month.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2024
They moved to the Pagoda Hotel there in 2019 and continued until at least 2020.
From New York Times • Apr. 17, 2024
“Just forgot something,” I say, and wag my red Pagoda cap in front of him.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
