Pooja
/ˈpuː.dʒɑː/noun
A Hindu ritual of worship involving offerings, prayers, and ceremonial honoring of a deity or revered person.
Did you know?The word names both the ritual and the act of honoring, reflecting a worldview in which focused offerings can establish a relationship between humans and the divine.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
pūjā
“Worship, honoring, reverence, or ceremonial offering”
Early Middle Indo-Aryan
Prakrits
pūjā
“Honor, worship, or veneration”
Medieval period
Hindi and other Indo-Aryan languages
pūjā
“Ritual worship of a deity, often involving offerings and recitation”
18th–19th Century
English
puja
“A Hindu act or ceremony of worship, adopted from Indian languages”
Modern English
English
pooja
“An English spelling variant of puja, commonly used for Hindu ritual worship”