bo tree

[boh]

noun

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.

Origin of bo tree

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

Also called bodhi tree.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bo tree

Historical Examples of bo tree

They are afterwards hung on the sacred Bo-tree, but never burned.
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe
Ernest Young
Making flower and other offerings to the great Bo-Tree, he walked round it.
Cultus Arborum
Anonymous
Usually a bo-tree is planted on the graves of the Kandy priests.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3
Various
They saw here the sacred Bo-tree, of which they had before been informed.
Across India
Oliver Optic
A learned thera who knew the Sinhalese Tipitaka was imported thence, as well as a branch of the Bo-tree.
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Charles Eliot

British Dictionary definitions for bo tree

bo tree

noun

another name for the peepul

Word Origin for bo tree

C19: from Sinhalese, from Pali bodhitaru tree of wisdom, from Sanskrit bodhi wisdom, awakening; see Bodhisattva

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

Word Origin and History for bo tree

1680s, from Sinhalese bo, from Pali bodhi, short for bodhi-taru "bo tree," literally "tree of wisdom or enlightenment" (related to Sanskrit buddhah "awakened;" see bid) + taru "tree."