Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
चैत्य. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
चैत्य, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
चैत्य in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
चैत्य you have here. The definition of the word
चैत्य will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
चैत्य, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Sanskrit
Alternative scripts
Etymology 1
From चित् (cít, “thought, intellect, spirit, soul”) or चिति (cití, “understanding; the thinking mind”).
Noun
चैत्य • (caitya) stem, m
- the individual soul (BhP. III, 26; 28, 28; 31, 19; Sarvad. II, 198f.)
Declension
Etymology 2
|
|
This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Separated from the "soul" sense by Monier-Williams and not mentioned by Mayrhofer. That said, it seems to also be from चित् (cit, “to perceive”), with other candidates for relation including चि (ci, “to pile up, construct”), चित्र (citra, “bright, shiny”).”
|
Noun
चैत्य • (caitya) stem, m
- (also n) a funeral monument or स्तूप (stūpa) or pyramidal column containing the ashes of deceased persons, sacred tree (especially a religious fig-tree) growing on a mound, hall or temple or place of worship (especially in Buddhism and Jainism and generally containing a monument), a sanctuary near a village (ĀśvGṛ. I, 12, Parāś., MBh. etc.)
- a Jain or Buddhist image (L.)
- = च्ऐत्यक (caityaka)
Descendants
Further reading
- Monier Williams (1899) “चैत्य”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, , new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0402/2.
- Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “caitya”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.