mudra

mu·dra

noun \mə-ˈdrä\

Definition of MUDRA

: one of the symbolic hand gestures used in religious ceremonies and dances of India and in yoga

Origin of MUDRA

Sanskrit mudrā

First Known Use: 1811

Rhymes with MUDRA

aba, Accra, aha, Allah, amah, Armagh, Artois, ayah, Bekaa, bourgeois, brava, chamois, Chechnya, Chita, chutzpah, compas, Degas, dolma, Dubois, Dunois, éclat, fa la, faux pas, fellah, Fermat, feta, foie gras, gaga, galah, Galois, goombah, grandma, grandpa, ha-ha, halvah, Hama, hoo-ha, hoopla, Hsia, hurrah, huzzah, Konya, Makah, Marat, markka, Maurois, mirepoix, Oita, oompah, opah, Oujda, quinoa, paisa, pasha, patois, pooh-bah, prutah, pya, Sanaa, sangfroid, selah, Seurat, Shema, Shoah, sol-fa, supra, Syrah, ta-ta, tola, Tonghua, Ufa, Utah, Vaudois, viva, voilà, wah-wah, whoopla

mudra

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In Buddhism and Hinduism, a symbolic gesture of the hands and fingers used in ceremonies, dance, sculpture, and painting. Hundreds of mudras are used in ceremony and dance, often in combination with movements of the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. In ceremonies, especially in Buddhism, a mudra acts as a kind of seal, affirming a mystical or magical vow or utterance, such as a prayer to ward off evil. A mudra often accompanies the utterance of a mantra.