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bo tree

American  
[boh] / boʊ /

noun

  1. the pipal, or sacred fig tree, Ficus religiosa, of India, under which the founder of Buddhism is reputed to have attained the Enlightenment that constituted him the Buddha.


bo tree British  
/ bəʊ /

noun

  1. another name for the peepul

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bo tree

1860–65; partial translation of Sinhalese bogaha, equivalent to bo (< Pali bodhi < Sanskrit; Bodhisattva ) + gaha tree

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.

Today, the bo tree is revered as a symbol for prosperity, happiness, good fortune and long life.

From Los Angeles Times

Dionysus was even called "the god in the tree,"* reminding us of Artemis Dendritis, and of the village gods which in India dwell in the peepul or the bo tree.**

From Project Gutenberg

Again, the mysterious rustle of the bo tree, pipal may be the reason for its especial veneration; as its seeming immortality is certainly the cause of the reverence given to the banian.

From Project Gutenberg

Two of the most interesting spots in India, the most sacred in the world to Buddhists, are Budh-gaya, where under the bo tree Buddha attained to enlightenment, and Sārnāth, where he began his preaching.

From Project Gutenberg

In an allusion to the bo tree of Ceylon, a slip of which is said to have been carried from India to that island by a certain priestess in the year 307 B.C.,

From Project Gutenberg