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mantra

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man⋅tra

  [man-truh, mahn-, muhn-]
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–noun Hinduism.
a word or formula, as from the Veda, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer.
Also, man⋅tram

Origin:
1800–10; < Skt

Related forms:
mantric, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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man·tra   (mān'trə, mŭn'-)   
n.  
  1. Hinduism A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities.
  2. A commonly repeated word or phrase: "Today's edutainment software comes shrinkwrapped in the magic mantra: 'makes learning fun.'" (Clifford Stoll).

[Sanskrit mantraḥ; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.]
man'tric adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Mantra

Man"tra\, n. [Skr.] A prayer; an invocation; a religious formula; a charm. [India]

Note: Among the Hindoos each caste and tribe has a mantra peculiar to itself; as, the mantra of the Brahmans. --Balfour (Cyc. of India).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : mantra
Spanish: hechizo, encanto,
German: der Zauberspruch,
Japanese: まじない
More Translations »

mantra 
1808, "that part of the Vedas which contains hymns," from Skt. mantra-s "sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel," lit. "instrument of thought," related to manyate "thinks." Sense of "special word used for meditation" is first recorded in Eng. 1956.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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