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 instead became an outspoken and influential politician who lobbied for India's freedom in the heart of its coloniser's empire - the British Parliament - and even clashed with Mahatma Gandhi.

From BBC

His strident views on communism often clashed with Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent approach to defeat their common adversary.

From BBC

Then he heard Howard University President Mordecai Wyatt Johnson’s lecture on Mahatma Gandhi, whose conceptions of nonviolent protest as a “love-force,” along with Christian love, animated a transformative movement.

From Los Angeles Times

"Right from the first day our side was peace," Mr Modi argued, pointing out that he came from the land of Mahatma Gandhi, whose statue in Kyiv he visited earlier.

From BBC

When asked by a journalist what he thought of Western civilization, Mahatma Gandhi quipped “I think it would be a good idea,” cementing the notion that America has rarely lived up to its ideals.

From Salon

Related Words

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