n.
Variant: or bod · dhi · satt · va
Pronunciation: ˌ b ō -di- ' s ə t-v ə , - ' sät-
Function: noun
Etymology: Sanskrit bodhisattva one whose essence is enlightenment, from bodhi enlightenment + sattva being ― more at BID
Date: 1828
: a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshipped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism