Buddha

[boo-duh, bood-uh]

noun

1. Also called Gautama. Also called Butsu. Also called Goutama Buddha. Also called Goutama. Also called Gautama Buddha,. Prince Siddhāttha or Siddhartha, 566?–c480 b.c., Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism.

2. any of a series of teachers in Buddhism, of whom Gautama was the last, who bring enlightenment and wisdom.

3. (sometimes lowercase),  a person who has attained full prajna, or enlightenment; Arhat.

buddha

¹

/ ˈbʊdə /

noun

1. Buddhism (often capital) a person who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment

2. an image or picture of the Buddha

Buddha

²

/ ˈbʊdə /

noun

1. ?563–483 _bc , a title applied to Gautama Siddhartha, a nobleman and religious teacher of N India, regarded by his followers as the most recent rediscoverer of the path to enlightenment: the founder of Buddhism

Word History and Origins

Origin of Buddha¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from Sanskrit: “awakened” ( budh- “awaken, notice, understand” + -ta past participle suffix)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Buddha¹

C17: from Sanskrit: awakened, enlightened, from budh to awake, know

Example Sentences

Auction house Sotheby's has returned a set of sacred jewels believed to be linked to the Buddha's remains to India, after facing mounting pressure from the Indian government and global Buddhist leaders.

From BBC

Historians consider the relics the shared heritage of the Buddha's Sakya clan and Buddhists worldwide.

From BBC

The planned sale of the Buddha relics by Sotheby's in Hong Kong had sparked widespread ethical concerns, with scholars and Buddhist leaders questioning whether sacred objects - especially those linked to human remains - should be treated as commodities.

From BBC

"Are the relics of the Buddha a commodity that can be treated like a work of art to be sold on the market?"

From BBC

Unearthed in 1898 by English estate manager William Claxton Peppé from a stupa in Piprahwa in northern India, near the Buddha's birthplace, the cache included nearly 1,800 pearls, rubies, sapphires and gold sheets - buried alongside bone fragments identified by an inscribed urn as belonging to the Buddha himself.

From BBC