mahatma

[ muh-haht-muh, -hat- ]

noun

, (sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a Brahman sage.
2. (especially in India) a person who is held in the highest esteem for wisdom and saintliness.
3. (in Theosophy) a great sage who has renounced further spiritual development in order to aid those who are less advanced.

mahatma

/ məˈhɑːtmə; -ˈhæt- /

noun

1. Hinduism a Brahman sage
2. theosophy an adept or sage

Derived Forms

• maˈhatmaism, noun

Other Words From

• ma·hatma·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mahatma¹

1850–55; < Sanskrit mahātmā, nominative singular of mahātman high-souled, magnanimous, equivalent to mahā- great + ātman atman

Word History and Origins

Origin of mahatma¹

C19: from Sanskrit mahātman, from mahā great + ātman soul

Example Sentences

He visited the White House and advised Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi.

From The Daily Beast

The Nobel committee said he was continuing in the noble tradition of Mahatma Gandhi.

From The Daily Beast

South Africa, not India, was the crucible in which the Mahatma was forged.

From The Daily Beast

First film recording of Mahatma Gandhi, 1931, is now available on YouTube.

From The Daily Beast

If Mahatma Gandhi returned and was democratically elected as president of the Palestinian Authority, it would not matter.

From The Daily Beast

That was an unusually long speech for my Mahatma—proof that he was very much in earnest.

From Project Gutenberg

It was not in vain that Mahatma declared, “put up thy sword into the sheath.”

From Project Gutenberg

The idea was, to quote the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “political” and not “educational.”

From Project Gutenberg

It was, to quote the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “a concession to popular agitation.”

From Project Gutenberg

This is what Mahatma teaches us and this is the message of all India.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• figure
• hero
• luminary
• personage
• personality
• someone
• star
• superstar