Monday, November 23, 2009

word of the day :: pagoda

pagoda:
[puh-goh-duh]


–noun
1. (in India, Burma, China, etc.) a temple or sacred building, usually a pyramidlike tower and typically having upward-curving roofs over the individual stories.
2. any of several former gold or silver coins of southern India, usually bearing a figure of such a temple, first issued in the late 16th century and later also by British, French, and Dutch traders.



Origin:
1625–35; < Pg pagode temple ≪ Pers butkada (but idol + kada temple, dwelling)


"Whenever we encounter the Infinite in man, however imperfectly understood, we treat it with respect. Whether in the synagogue, the mosque, the pagoda, or the wigwam, there is a hideous aspect which we execrate and a sublime aspect which we venerate. So great a subject for spiritual contemplation, such measureless dreaming--the echo of God on the human wall!" (Victor Hugo)
* Definition from www.dictionary.com

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