Meaning & use
stupa
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablereligion
A dome-shaped Buddhist monument built to hold sacred relics, mark an important place, or honor events in the Buddha's life.
Grammar: Countable with plural stupas; often used with an or the in travel and religious contexts.
Patterns
- Buddhist stupa
- ancient stupa
- stupa contains relics
Pilgrims circled the white stupa at sunrise.
The ancient stupa is believed to contain relics of the Buddha.
A small stupa marks the spot where the teaching is said to have occurred.
Word forms
| plural | stupas |
|---|
Common combinations
- Buddhist stupa
- A Buddhist stupa may be plain stone or richly painted.
- ancient stupa
- The ancient stupa survived centuries of monsoon rain.
- relic stupa
- A relic stupa is treated with special reverence by visitors.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dagoba
- Dagoba is used mainly in Sri Lanka for a solid Buddhist relic mound; stupa is the wider international term.
- pagoda
- A pagoda is often a taller tower with repeated roofs; a stupa is usually a solid dome or mound.
Word family
- stupika noun
- A small architectural finial or miniature stupa form in some South Asian buildings.
Commonly confused: stupa or stupid?
stupa vs stupid
Stupid means lacking good sense; stupa is a Buddhist monument.
Practice
What is a stupa most closely associated with?
Choose one answer.
A stupa is a Buddhist monument often connected with relics or sacred sites. The other choices point to stenograph, stethoscope, and subrogation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stupa”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.