pagoda

[ puh-goh-duh ]
See synonyms for pagoda on Thesaurus.com
noun
  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.

Origin of pagoda

1
First recorded in 1625–35; from Portuguese pagode “temple,” ultimately from Persian butkada (but “idol” + kada “temple, dwelling”)

Other words from pagoda

  • pa·go·da·like, adjective
  • sub·pa·go·da, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pagoda in a sentence

  • We enter by an elaborate white gateway and find ourselves in a perfect forest of pagodas.

  • Some of the largest pagodas have been restored, which is rather a wonder in Burma as restoration does not make for "merit."

  • In fact there was hardly any difference between the little pagodas and the people who inhabit the world.

  • The little pagodas paused in their movements and came near to Laideronnette, and she saw at a glance that they were simply lovely.

  • Laideronnette then undressed herself and got into the bath, and at once the pagodas began to sing and play.

British Dictionary definitions for pagoda

pagoda

/ (pəˈɡəʊdə) /


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

Origin of pagoda

1
C17: from Portuguese pagode, ultimately from Sanskrit bhagavatī divine

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

Cultural definitions for pagoda

pagoda

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.