stupa

noun

stu·​pa ˈstü-pə How to pronounce stupa (audio)
: a usually dome-shaped structure (such as a mound) serving as a Buddhist shrine

Illustration of stupa

Illustration of stupa

Examples of stupa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the 1970s another remarkable stupa at Dhulikatta produced a further series of treasures. William Dalrymple, The New York Review of Books, 31 Aug. 2023 Many are from the ruins of the great stupa at Bharhut, in central India, built around 250 B.C. and excavated after its rediscovery in 1873. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2023 Visitors are encouraged to show respect and observe silence while at the stupa, allowing everyone to experience its peaceful ambiance. The Arizona Republic, 28 July 2023 The stupa is a recurrent visual theme in the Met exhibition. Holland Cotter, New York Times, 21 July 2023 And a sculptural depiction of a stupa, carved in relief on a limestone panel, opens the show. Holland Cotter, New York Times, 21 July 2023 Bhutan’s famous 10,200-foot-high Dochu La pass, with its 108 stupas and views of the Himalayas. Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, 8 June 2023 In 2013, Sonam Wangchuk, an engineer in Ladakh, invented the first ice stupa as a solution for the extreme droughts plaguing the region, Matteo Spagnolo, a geoscientist at the University of Aberdeen in the U.K. writes in the Conversation. Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2021 At Long Beach’s first Sankranta festival to celebrate the Cambodian new year, people knelt and prayed at a mound of sand called a stupa, decorated with bright yellow flowers to honor ancestors. Jeong Park, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stupa.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Sanskrit stūpa

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stupa was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near stupa

Cite this Entry

“Stupa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stupa. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

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