Vishnu

[ vish-noo ]
/ ˈvɪʃ nu /

noun Hinduism.

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

From theSanskrit word viṣṇu

OTHER WORDS FROM Vishnu

Vish·nu·ism, noun

Words nearby Vishnu

Viseu, vish, Vishakhapatnam, Vishinsky, Vishnevskaya, Vishnu, visibility, visibility meter, visible, visible balance, visible horizon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for Vishnu

British Dictionary definitions for Vishnu

Vishnu
/ (ˈvɪʃnuː) /

noun

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

Derived forms of Vishnu

Vishnuism, noun

Word Origin for Vishnu

C17: from Sanskrit Viṣṇu, literally: the one who works everywhere
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 Vishnu

Vishnu
[ (vish-nooh) ]

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

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.