Dictionary
ma•ya
Pronunciation: (mä'yä, -yu), [key]—
n. Hinduism.
1. the power, as of a god, to produce illusions.
2. the production of an illusion.
3. (in Vedantic philosophy) the illusion of the reality of sensory experience and of the experienced qualities and attributes of oneself.
4. (
cap.) Also called
Mahamaya. a goddess personifying the power that creates phenomena.
Ma•ya
Pronunciation: (mä'yu), [key]
—n., pl. -yas, (esp. collectively) -ya,
—adj.
—
n.
1. a member of a major pre-Columbian civilization of the Yucatán Peninsula that reached its peak in the 9th centurya.d.and produced magnificent ceremonial cities with pyramids, a sophisticated mathematical and calendar system, hieroglyphic writing, and fine sculpture, painting, and ceramics.
2. a member of a modern American Indian people of southern Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras who are the descendants of this ancient civilization.
3. any of the Mayan languages; the historical and modern languages of the Mayas.
—
adj.
Mayan.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
