an ethnic minority speaking Mayan languages and living in Yucatan and adjacent areas
"The Maya people have preserved their ancient traditions while adapting to modern life in the Yucatan peninsula."
a family of American Indian languages spoken by Mayas
"The Maya people have preserved their ancient culture through centuries despite speaking various dialects within the same language family."
A member or descendant of various peoples:
"The ancient priest performed a complex ritual of maya to summon rain during the drought."
a flourishing Mesoamerican civilization that existed in and around Guatemala from the 3rd century to the 9th century.
Magic; supernatural power as held by the gods.
In plain English: Maya is an ancient Indian belief that everything you see and experience isn't real but just an illusion hiding the true nature of reality.
"The Maya civilization built impressive pyramids in Central America thousands of years ago."
Usage: In everyday contexts, maya refers to an illusion or deceptive appearance rather than literal magic. Use this term when describing something that seems real but is actually a trick of perception, not for actual supernatural powers.
The Yucatec Maya language.
"Maya gave birth to Siddhartha, who would later become the Buddha."
A female given name from Hebrew of modern usage.
In Sanskrit, illusion; God's physical and metaphysical creation (literally, "not this").
mother of Gautama Buddha
The word maya was borrowed into English via Spanish from Yucatec Maya, where it originally meant "flat." This term served as a self-designation for the northern Maya people before entering modern usage to describe their culture and civilization.