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bo tree

American  
[boh] / boʊ /

noun

  1. the pipal, or sacred fig tree, Ficus religiosa, of India, under which the founder of Buddhism is reputed to have attained the Enlightenment that constituted him the Buddha.


bo tree British  
/ bəʊ /

noun

  1. another name for the peepul

"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

Etymology

Origin of bo tree

1860–65; partial translation of Sinhalese bogaha, equivalent to bo (< Pali bodhi < Sanskrit; Bodhisattva ) + gaha tree

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Today, the bo tree is revered as a symbol for prosperity, happiness, good fortune and long life.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2024

Sitting 49 days under a bo tree, Gautama won through to enlightenment and could have vanished into Nirvana, the final release from the wheel of rebirth.

From Time Magazine Archive

Why did Gotama once sit down beneath the bo tree in his greatest hour when he received enlightenment?

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

In an allusion to the bo tree of Ceylon, a slip of which is said to have been carried from India to that island by a certain priestess in the year 307 B.C.,

From The God-Idea of the Ancients or Sex in Religion by Gamble, Eliza Burt

Two of the most interesting spots in India, the most sacred in the world to Buddhists, are Budh-gaya, where under the bo tree Buddha attained to enlightenment, and Sārnāth, where he began his preaching.

From New Ideas in India During the Nineteenth Century A Study of Social, Political, and Religious Developments by Morrison, John