buddhist
Meaning
A person who believes in or follows the religion of Buddhism.
Relating to Buddhism or Buddhists.
Structure
Usage
She has been a practicing Buddhist for over twenty years.
The Buddhist temple was a place of great peace and tranquility.
Buddhist philosophy emphasizes compassion and the cessation of suffering.
Etymology
The word 'Buddhist' is a modern English formation, coined in the early 19th century to describe followers of Buddhism. It combines the name 'Buddha', derived from the Sanskrit past participle 'buddha' meaning 'awakened' or 'enlightened', with the Greek-derived agent suffix '-ist', which denotes a person who practices or is concerned with something. The term 'Buddha' itself originates from the Sanskrit root 'budh-', meaning 'to wake, to know', which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root bheudh-, meaning 'to be aware, to perceive'. Thus, a Buddhist is literally 'one concerned with the awakened one', a follower of the path to enlightenment as taught by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.
Analysis
- buddh: From Sanskrit 'buddha', meaning 'awakened, enlightened'. It is a proper noun referring to the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama. - ist: A suffix of Greek origin (via Latin '-ista'), used to form agent nouns denoting an adherent of a particular doctrine, system, or practice.