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

Gandhi, by then largely known as the mahatma, or “great soul,” had helped lead India into its independent future less than a year before, with millions of Indian nationalists by his side.

From New York Times

He called Tribe, one of country’s foremost constitutional scholars, “a big mahatma” who “thinks he can get away with this sort of thing.”

From Washington Post

It centers around a towering bronze statue of Indian independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, also known as the mahatma or “great soul.”

From Seattle Times

But a statue of Mohandas Gandhi in a Delhi park seemed girded for the struggle ahead: Antipollution campaigners had fitted the mahatma with a respirator mask.

From New York Times

Certain subjects, like Gandhi, who is often referred to as mahatma, or great soul, are particularly guarded.

From New York Times

Related Words

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