Vishnu

American  

[vish-noo] / ˈvɪʃ nu /

noun

Hinduism.

1. (in later Hinduism) “the Preserver,” the second member of the Trimurti, along with Brahma the Creator and Shiva the Destroyer.

2. (in popular Hinduism) a deity believed to have descended from heaven to earth in several incarnations, or avatars, varying in number from nine to twenty-two, but always including animals. His most important human incarnation is the Krishna of the Bhagavad-Gita.

3. “the Pervader,” one of a half-dozen solar deities in the Rig-Veda, daily traversing the sky in three strides, morning, afternoon, and night.

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Vishnu British  

/ ˈvɪʃnuː /

noun

1. Hinduism the Pervader or Sustainer: originally a solar deity occupying a secondary place in the Hindu pantheon; later one of the three chief gods, the second member of the Trimurti; and, later still, the saviour appearing in many incarnations

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Vishnu Cultural  

1. A deity of Hinduism, known as the Preserver. According to the Hindus, he has appeared as Krishna and as the Buddha.

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Other Word Forms

• Vishnuism noun

Etymology

Origin of Vishnu

From the Sanskrit word viṣṇu

Example Sentences

A Cambodian official responded angrily to the destruction of the statue of the Hindu deity Vishnu, after more than two weeks of military clashes between the neighbours.

From Barron's

The final room highlights a single, colossal Reclining Vishnu statue from the second half of the 11th century.

From The Wall Street Journal

Back in the 1990s, only two or three people a week visited what was then a little-known place of worship to Lord Balaji, a local incarnation of the Hindu god Lord Vishnu.

From The Wall Street Journal

From the passenger seat, Vishnu Persaud coaches me on working the clutch: “So you’re going to slide your foot off the pedal. Just let the bottom of your foot pivot off your Achilles’ heel.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Elsewhere, Vishnu Sridharan and I have called this the difference between offering “natural” and “created” reasons.

From Salon