Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

theravada

/ˌtɛrəˈvɑːdə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.22 in modern English

Syllables
ther-ava-da
IPA
/ˌtɛrəˈvɑːdə/
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

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

A Buddhist of this particular school.

Etymology

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

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: स्थविरवाद

Inflected Forms

Theravadas (plural)

Derived Forms

Theravadan

Phrases

Esoteric Theravada

Frequently Paired Words

Mahayana

Synonyms

theravada buddhism

Questions

How do you pronounce theravada?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌtɛrəˈvɑːdə/.
What does theravada mean?
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.
Where does theravada come from?
It is traced to Sanskrit.

How to pronounce theravada

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “theravada”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌtɛrəˈvɑːdə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “theravada”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “theravada” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.