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• maya
  maya

  noun

  the power, as of a god, to produce illusions.
• Maya
  Maya

  noun

  a member of a major pre-Columbian civilization of the Yucatán Peninsula that reached its peak in the 9th century a.d. and produced magnificent ceremonial cities with pyramids, a sophisticated mathematical and calendar system, hieroglyphic writing, and fine sculpture, painting, and ceramics.

maya

¹ American  

[mah-yah, -yuh] / ˈmɑ jɑ, -jə /

noun

Hinduism.

1. the power, as of a god, to produce illusions.

2. the production of an illusion.

3. (in Vedantic philosophy) the illusion of the reality of sensory experience and of the experienced qualities and attributes of oneself.

4. Also called Mahamaya. (initial capital letter) a goddess personifying the power that creates phenomena.

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Maya ² American  

[mah-yuh] / ˈmɑ jə /

noun

• Mayas,
  plural
• Maya
  plural

1. a member of a major pre-Columbian civilization of the Yucatán Peninsula that reached its peak in the 9th century a.d. and produced magnificent ceremonial cities with pyramids, a sophisticated mathematical and calendar system, hieroglyphic writing, and fine sculpture, painting, and ceramics.

2. a member of a modern Indigenous people of southern Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras who are the descendants of this ancient civilization.

3. any of the Mayan languages; the historical and modern languages of the Maya.

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adjective

1. Mayan.

Maya ¹ British  

/ ˈmaɪə /

noun

1. Also called: Mayan. a member of an American Indian people of Yucatan, Belize, and N Guatemala, having an ancient culture once characterized by outstanding achievements in architecture, astronomy, chronology, painting, and pottery

2. the language of this people See also Mayan

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Maya ² British  

/ ˈmɑːjə, ˈmɑːjɑː, ˈmaɪə /

noun

1. the Hindu goddess of illusion, the personification of the idea that the material world is illusory

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maya ³ British  

/ ˈmɑːjə, ˈmaɪə, ˈmɑːjɑː /

noun

1. Hinduism illusion, esp the material world of the senses regarded as illusory

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Mayan
  adjective
• mayan
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Maya
  plural
• Mayas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of maya¹

Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1815–25

Origin of Maya²

First recorded in 1810–20; from Spanish, from Yucatec Maya mayab “flat,” a self-designation

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maya Maya Mayas

Covid was the great equalizer — it was impossible to stay detached, to maintain maya hata s krau.

From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2022

Between the gods and mortal men and women there hung a veil, and its name was maya.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 22, 2019

Hinduism itself stresses the pervasive power of maya or illusion.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 17, 2018

He believes in transcending the entanglements of maya by mortifying his flesh.

From Time Magazine Archive

That I should make much of myself and turn it on all sides, thus casting coloured shadows on thy radiance—such is thy maya.

From Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore

The remaining traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster, met in the turret later with the choice of murdering previously shortlisted players Jerry Hall and Hannah Fry, or seducing a third traitor to replace Grant.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Elsewhere on the front page, two contestants from this season of the Celebrity Traitors, Maya Jama and Richard E Grant, are pictured scheming in their iconic green cloaks.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

The new series of Celebrity Traitors has kicked off, with 21 contestants including Bella Ramsey, Maya Jama and Michael Sheen.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Possible precedents flicker: Maya hieroglyphs, Buddhist mandalas, Hiberno-Saxon manuscripts, Bosch, Gauguin, feathered Trinidadian carnival masks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

“I had to talk to the guys on the team, too. And you were hanging out with Maya and Jasmine. You were the one ignoring me.”

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Tamales date to pre-Hispanic times when Olmecs, Mexicas and Mayas prepared them for religious rituals, offerings and even placed them in tombs.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 30, 2023

“Some people say it will bring great benefits, but for us Mayas that work the land, that live here, we don’t see any benefits.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2022

They talk about the bond between the Mayas and the bees, who provided them with honey for medicinal purposes while the Mayas protected and cared for them, a tradition they continue to uphold today.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2018

The Guatemalan military viewed Mayas generally and the Ixil specifically as the “internal enemy,” a support and recruitment base for left-wing guerrillas, according to a 1999 report from a United Nations-backed truth panel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2018

She spoke of the ancient medicines of other tribes, the Aztecas, Mayas, and even of those in the old, old country, the Moors.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya