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.

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bo tree British  

/ bəʊ /

noun

1. another name for the peepul

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Etymology

Origin of bo tree

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

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2024

Sitting 49 days under a bo tree, Gautama won through to enlightenment and could have vanished into Nirvana, the final release from the wheel of rebirth.

From Time Magazine Archive

Why did Gotama once sit down beneath the bo tree in his greatest hour when he received enlightenment?

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

It was under a bo tree that Mai, Queen of Heaven, brought him forth, and, in fact, very many of the most important incidents of his life are closely connected with this sacred emblem.

From The God-Idea of the Ancients or Sex in Religion by Gamble, Eliza Burt

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 The Religions of India Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris Jastrow by Hopkins, Edward Washburn