Buddha Meaning
/ˈbʊdə/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAlternative letter-case form of Buddha.
nameSiddhartha Gautama, the Nepali prince and Indian philosopher and teacher who founded Buddhism.
Sentence Examples
Now there is neither God nor Buddha.
The sculptor carved wood into an image of Buddha.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The meditation hall held a large golden statue of the enlightened teacher known as ____, with a peaceful smile.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ taught his followers about how to find peace and happiness.
Word Origin & History
Learned borrowing from Pali Buddha (“the Awakened One, the Enlightened One”), from buddha (“awakened, enlightened”), from Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha, “awakened, enlightened”), past participle of बोधति (bodhati, “to wake, to awaken”). Distantly related to English bid and bede. Also cognate with Proto-Slavic *buditi (“to wake up”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“Mind,” he began again, lifting one arm from the elbow, the palm of the hand outwards, so that, with his legs folded before him, he had the pose of a Buddha preaching in European clothes and without a lotus-flower - “Mind, none of us would feel exactly like this.”"
— 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 196:
"Sam: Well, our first priority is to make sure the thieves don't strike again. It'll be tricky, 'cause these sorts of gangs rarely have just one target on the go. They've usually researched half a dozen possibilities, waiting for the most opportune circumstances on any of them.
Harry Woolf: He knows his onions, this lad, eh?
Gene Hunt: Oh, he's a right little smart-arse. So, what do you suggest, Buddha?"
— 2007 February 20, Chris Chibnall, Life on Mars, season 2, episode 2:
"What the fuck are you doing with a buddha as a lampstand? O that's not a buddha that's some high goddess or other."
— 1967, R. D. Laing, The Politics of Experience and The Bird of Paradise, Penguin Books, page 152:
"I know how it feel to wake up fucked up
Pockets broke as hell, another rock to sell
People look at you like you's the user
Sellin' drugs to all the losers, mad buddha abuser"
— 1994, The Notorious B.I.G., “Everyday Struggle”, in Ready to Die:
"It ain't hard to tell, I excel, then prevail
The mic is contacted, I attract clientele
My mic check is life or death, breathin' a sniper's breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps"
— 1994, Nas, “It Ain't Hard to Tell”, in Illmatic:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The meditation hall held a large golden statue of the enlightened teacher known as ____, with a peaceful smile.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ taught his followers about how to find peace and happiness.