Annapurna

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large mountain range in the Himalayas of north-central Nepal, known for its high peaks ; a Hindu goddess who represents abundance, food and nourishment
2. A towering Himalayan massif in Nepal famed for its dangerous slopes ; a deity in Hindu tradition regarded as the bestower of food and plenty
3. The celebrated Nepalese mountain range in the Himalayas ; the Hindu goddess associated with sustenance, harvest and the provision of grain

Etymology: Annapurna is a Sanskrit name meaning "full of food" or "filled with grain," built from "anna" (food, grain) and "pūrṇā" (full, filled). In Hindu tradition she is a form of the goddess Parvati, worshipped as the giver of nourishment and the provider of food to all living beings. Her name is carried into English as a proper noun for the mountain in the Himalayas, one of the world's highest peaks, and for the goddess herself. The English word arrived by direct borrowing from Sanskrit, so it keeps its original sense of abundance. Because the name is a compound of two ordinary Sanskrit words, its literal meaning is transparent to anyone who knows the language: the goddess is essentially "the full one of food."