mahatma

[ muh-haht-muh, -hat- ]

/ məˈhɑt mə, -ˈhæt- /

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noun (sometimes initial capital letter)

a Brahman sage.

(especially in India) a person who is held in the highest esteem for wisdom and saintliness.

(in Theosophy) a great sage who has renounced further spiritual development in order to aid those who are less advanced.

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Origin of mahatma

1850–55; <Sanskrit mahātmā, nominative singular of mahātman high-souled, magnanimous, equivalent to mahā- great + ātmanatman

OTHER WORDS FROM mahatma

ma·hat·ma·ism, noun

Words nearby mahatma

maharanee, maharani, Maharashtra, maharishi, Mahasamadhi, mahatma, Mahatma Gandhi, Mahavira, Mahayana, Maha Yuga, Mahdi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use mahatma in a sentence

He visited the White House and advised Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi.
Growth Stocks|The Daily Beast|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Nobel committee said he was continuing in the noble tradition of Mahatma Gandhi.
Malala Yousafzai Is the Youngest Nobel Peace Prize Winner in History|Nico Hines|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
South Africa, not India, was the crucible in which the Mahatma was forged.
Best Books About the Rest of the World|Kapil Komireddi|December 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
First film recording of Mahatma Gandhi, 1931, is now available on YouTube.
Watch: Gandhi's First Video Interview|David Frum|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

If Mahatma Gandhi returned and was democratically elected as president of the Palestinian Authority, it would not matter.
Why I Like Naftali Bennett|Shaul Magid|January 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That was an unusually long speech for my Mahatma—proof that he was very much in earnest.
The Affable Stranger|Peter McArthur
It was not in vain that Mahatma declared, “put up thy sword into the sheath.”
Freedom Through Disobedience|C. R. (Chittaranjan) Das
The idea was, to quote the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “political” and not “educational.”
Freedom Through Disobedience|C. R. (Chittaranjan) Das
It was, to quote the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “a concession to popular agitation.”
Freedom Through Disobedience|C. R. (Chittaranjan) Das
This is what Mahatma teaches us and this is the message of all India.
Chitta Ranjan|Sukumar Ranjan Das

British Dictionary definitions for mahatma

mahatma

/ (məˈhɑːtmə, -ˈhæt-) /

noun (sometimes capital)

Hinduism a Brahman sage

theosophy an adept or sage

Derived forms of mahatma

mahatmaism, noun

Word Origin for mahatma

C19: from Sanskrit mahātman, from mahā great + ātman soul

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

mahatma

Origin of mahatma

OTHER WORDS FROM mahatma

Words nearby mahatma

Words related to mahatma

How to use mahatma in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mahatma

Derived forms of mahatma

Word Origin for mahatma