Nirvana

How to spell nirvana

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce nirvana

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does nirvana mean?

1. nounIn Buddhism and Hinduism, the transcendent state of release from suffering and the cycle of rebirth.
2. nounA state of perfect happiness, peace, or contentment.

Nirvana in a sentence

• The monk spent decades in meditation, seeking nirvana.

• After a long week, a quiet bath and a good book felt like pure nirvana.

• The lecture explained how Buddhist teaching describes nirvana as the end of all craving.

• The spa promised guests a weekend of total relaxation and nirvana.

Where does nirvana come from?

Language of origin: Sanskrit

Nirvana comes from the Sanskrit word nirvana, which literally means 'a blowing out' or 'extinguishing', as one would extinguish a flame. It is built from nir, meaning 'out' or 'away', and the verbal root va, meaning 'to blow', so the underlying image is of a fire or breath being snuffed out. In Buddhist and Hindu thought the term describes the extinguishing of desire, suffering, and the cycle of rebirth, the highest spiritual goal in which the self is released. English borrowed the word in the early nineteenth century as Western scholars and travellers began studying Indian religion and texts. Because it travelled straight from Sanskrit and keeps its original spelling, the trap for writers is the unusual 'irv' cluster and the temptation to double a consonant that should stay single.

How the word is built

• nir- (out, away)
• va (to blow)
• -na (noun suffix); literally 'a blowing out' or 'extinguishing'