Theravada

[ ther-uh-vah-duh ]

noun

, Buddhism.

1. Hinayanist name for Hinayana.

Theravada

/ ˌθɛrəˈvɑːdə /

noun

1. the southern school of Buddhism, the name preferred by Hinayana Buddhists for their doctrines

Word History and Origins

Origin of Theravada¹

from Pali: doctrine of the elders

Example Sentences

While there are individual cases of fully ordained nuns in both the Theravada and the Tibetan traditions, the rarity of these cases made a continuous lineage practically impossible.

From No Straight News

Thailand is a unique society in the modern world: a Theravada Buddhist monarchy with a parliamentary system.

From The Daily Beast