Theravada

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Theravada

/ˌtɛrəˈvɑːdə/
/ˌθɛrəˈvɑːdə/

Where it comes from

Transliteration of Pali theravāda, inherited from Sanskrit स्थविरवाद (sthaviravāda, literally “doctrine of the elders”), from स्थविर (sthavira, “elder”) + वाद (vāda, “doctrine”).

proper noun

The oldest surviving school of Buddhism based on the earliest recorded teachings of the historical Buddha found in the Pali canon, widely practised in Southeast Asia.

noun Theravadas

A Buddhist of this particular school.

Translations

Every language

name school of Buddhism

日本語	上座部 jōzabu
中文	小乘佛教 Xiǎochéng Fójiào, 南傳佛教 /南传佛教 Nánchuán Fójiào, 上座部佛教 Shàngzuòbù Fójiào
हिन्दी	थेरवाद thervād, स्थविरवाद sthavirvād
Português	teravada
Tiếng Việt	Thượng toạ bộ

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MLA

"Theravada." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/theravada. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Theravada. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/theravada

Chicago

"Theravada." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/theravada.

BibTeX

@misc{theravada_2026,
  title = {Theravada},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/theravada},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}