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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

As, therefore, maya may be taken to mean 'abundant,' the Self consisting of bliss is the highest Self.

From The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankaracarya Sacred Books of the East, Volume 1 by George Thibaut

But as Maya MacGuineas, the president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, points out, the national debt has doubled in the last 10 years and quadrupled in fewer than 20 years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

The researchers also compared Indigenous Peruvians with the Maya, an Indigenous population in Mexico that shares evolutionary history with Andean peoples but does not have a tradition of potato farming.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

Alaska is joining a list of famed comedic actors who have played Mary Todd Lincoln, including Maya Rudolph, Meg Stalter, Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Jose Luis Maya, the owner of Deportes Maya, has sold jerseys, shoes and soccer balls on Archer for 24 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Across from me and Maya, Mama and Pop’s bed is empty.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Known as Mayan “axes,” because of their shape, the carved slabs may have been associated with the sacred ball game of the Mayas, rather than have any use as an axe.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2022

“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

The city is home to Mexicans who speak languages such as Zapotec, Mixtec and Triqui, as well as Guatemalan Mayas who speak languages like K’iche’ and Q’anjob’al.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2019

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

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