bodhisattva

bo dhi satt va |ˌbōdiˈsätvə, -ˈsət -ˌboʊdəˈsɑtvə |(also Bodhisattva ) ▶noun (in Mahayana Buddhism ) a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings. ORIGIN early 19th cent.: Sanskrit, ‘a person whose essence is perfect knowledge, ’ from bodhi- ‘perfect knowledge ’ (from budh- ‘awaken ’ [see Buddha ]) + sattva ‘being, essence. ’

bodhisattva

bodhisattva |ˌbɒdɪˈsɑːtvə | ▶noun (in Mahayana Buddhism ) a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so through compassion for suffering beings. ORIGIN Sanskrit, ‘a person whose essence is perfect knowledge ’, from bodhi ‘perfect knowledge ’ (from budh- ‘know perfectly ’) + sattva ‘being, essence ’.