maya

ma·ya

noun \ˈmä-yə, ˈmī-ə\

Definition of MAYA

: the sense-world of manifold phenomena held in Vedanta to conceal the unity of absolute being; broadly : illusion

Origin of MAYA

Sanskrit māyā

First Known Use: 1788

Rhymes with MAYA

taille

Ma·ya

noun \ˈmī-ə\

plural Maya or Mayas

Definition of MAYA

1

a : a Mayan language of the ancient Maya peoples recorded in inscriptions

b : yucatec; especially : the older form of that language known from documents of the Spanish period

2

: a member of a group of Indian peoples chiefly of Yucatán, Belize, and Guatemala whose languages are Mayan

Origin of MAYA

Spanish

First Known Use: 1825

Rhymes with MAYA

ayah, maya, playa, Praia, stria, via

maya

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In Hinduism, a powerful force that creates the cosmic illusion that the phenomenal world is real. The word maya originally referred to the wizardry with which a god can make human beings believe in what turns out to be an illusion, and its philosophical sense is an extension of this meaning. The concept is especially important in the Advaita school of the orthodox system of Vedanta, which sees maya as the cosmic force that presents the infinite Brahman as the finite phenomenal world.