mantra

or man·tram

[ man-truh, mahn-, muhn- ]
See synonyms for mantra on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Hinduism. a word or formula, as from the Veda, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer.

  2. an often repeated word, formula, or phrase, often a truism: If I hear the “less is more” mantra one more time, I'll scream.

Origin of mantra

1
Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1800–10

Other words from mantra

  • mantric, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mantra in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mantra

mantra

/ (ˈmæntrə, ˈmʌn-) /


noun
  1. Hinduism any of those parts of the Vedic literature which consist of the metrical psalms of praise

  2. Hinduism Buddhism any sacred word or syllable used as an object of concentration and embodying some aspect of spiritual power

Origin of mantra

1
C19: from Sanskrit, literally: speech, instrument of thought, from man to think

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012