mahatma

[ muh-haht-muh, -hat- ]
See synonyms for mahatma on Thesaurus.com
noun(sometimes initial capital letter)
  1. a Brahman sage.

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

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

Origin of mahatma

1
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mahatma in a sentence

  • 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)
  1. Hinduism a Brahman sage

  2. theosophy an adept or sage

Origin of mahatma

1
C19: from Sanskrit mahātman, from mahā great + ātman soul

Derived forms of mahatma

  • mahatmaism, noun

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