pagoda

American  

[puh-goh-duh] / pəˈgoʊ də /

noun

pagodas plural

1. in India, Myanmar (Burma), China, etc., a temple or sacred building, usually a pyramidlike tower and typically having upward-curving roofs over the individual stories.

2. any of several former gold or silver coins of southern India, usually bearing a figure of such a temple, first issued in the late 16th century and later also by British, French, and Dutch traders.

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pagoda British  

/ pəˈɡəʊdə /

noun

1. an Indian or Far Eastern temple, esp a tower, usually pyramidal and having many storeys

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pagoda Cultural  

1. A tower with several different stories, each of which has its own roof. Pagodas are common in eastern Asia and originally served religious purposes as memorials or shrines.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subpagoda
  noun
• pagodalike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pagodas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pagoda

First recorded in 1625–35; from Portuguese pagode “temple,” ultimately from Persian butkada ( but “idol” + kada “temple, dwelling”)

Explanation

A pagoda is a tiered building that rises to a point. Most pagodas have some religious significance and are found in Asia. One particular type of Buddhist or Taoist temple rises in the shape of a pyramid or a rounded pyramid — this is called a pagoda. The word may make you think of China or Japan, and in fact most pagodas are found in those two countries, as well as other parts of Asia, including Cambodia, Nepal, and India. Pagoda comes from the Portuguese pagode, although its origin is uncertain. One possible root is the Tamil word pagavadi, "house belonging to a deity."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pagoda pagodas

Be sure to end the meal with the banana pagoda, a playful dessert presented in a chocolate box that’s smashed tableside for a bit of theatrical flair.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

But not yet, said the woman sheltering with family under makeshift tents at a Buddhist pagoda in Banteay Meanchey province.

From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025

But it’s important that the creators of the pagoda lunch box, the thank-you bag, and the pink doughnut box did not try to capture all the profits that they created.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2024

Over at Shrubsole, I couldn’t look away from the contemporaneous Chinoiserie “epergne,” a botanically themed silver serving dish whose nine separate floating bowls are surmounted by a pagoda roof topped with a pineapple.

From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2024

But when I looked carefully, I saw the pagoda was really just a building topped with stacks of tile roofs, no walls, nothing else under its head.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Astrologers consult a national zodiac, palm readers ring pagodas, would-be alchemists attempt to transmute mercury into gold and SIM card companies advertise dial-a-diviners.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

Shopowner Thant Zin, 28, who is from a town in Sagaing unaffected by the quake, mourned the collapse of centuries-old pagodas and temples in his area.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025

Kardze prefecture in Sichuan is a land of craggy mountains, rushing rivers, grazing black-haired yak and glittering pagodas and stupas.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2023

At the March council meeting, some praised Saro, saying she has educated the community about the word Sankranta and that it is used in Cambodia at different temples and pagodas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2023

Late at night, on guard, it seemed that all of Vietnam was alive and shimmering—odd shapes swaying in the paddies, boogiemen in sandals, spirits dancing in old pagodas.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Related Words

• gazebo
• memorial
• shrine
• temple