Meru
/ˈmeɪruː/noun
A sacred cosmic mountain at the center of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain cosmologies, also identified with a real mountain in several South Asian traditions.
Did you know?In Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain cosmology, Mount Meru is surrounded by continents, celestial realms, and divine beings, making it an ancient model of a magically ordered universe.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Meru
“The name of the mythic cosmic mountain; its deeper etymology is uncertain.”
Early Buddhist Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sumeru
“The exalted or cosmic Mount Meru, described as the central axis of the world.”
Pāli Canon period
Pāli
Sineru
“The cosmic mountain at the center of Buddhist cosmography.”
Medieval Sanskrit tradition
Sanskrit
Mahāmeru
“Great Meru, an honorific form emphasizing the mountain’s cosmic magnitude.”
Modern English
English
Mount Meru / Meru
“The mythological world-mountain, and by extension the name of real mountains associated with that tradition.”
Explore more surprising origins