pagoda

Where does the word "pagoda" come from? It comes from Sanskrit bhagavati, passing through Tamil and Portuguese before entering English (1580s).

Pagoda’s story begins in Sanskrit: bhagavati meant “the blessed goddess.” An epithet of a goddess, 'the blessed one'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Tamil as pakavati. South Indian temple term for a shrine of the goddess. From there it passed into Portuguese as pagode by 16th c.. Portuguese traders in South India applied the word to Asian temples generally. It reached English by 1580s as pagoda. Borrowed via Portuguese for tiered Asian temple towers. Today, pagoda means a tiered tower, typically Buddhist, common across South and East Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient bhagavati "the blessed goddess", an epithet of a goddess, 'the blessed one'.
2. Stage 2 · Tamil · medieval pakavati "a temple of the goddess", South Indian temple term for a shrine of the goddess.
3. Stage 3 · Portuguese · 16th c. pagode "an Asian temple", Portuguese traders in South India applied the word to Asian temples generally.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1580s pagoda "a tiered tower temple, especially Buddhist", borrowed via Portuguese for tiered Asian temple towers.