Mayas
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ma·ya
(mä′yə)n.
1. In Hinduism, Buddhism, and certain other East Asian religions, the transitory, manifold appearance of the sensible world, which obscures the undifferentiated spiritual reality from which it originates; the illusory appearance of the sensible world.
2. Hinduism The power of a god or demon to transform a concept into an element of the sensible world.
[Sanskrit māyā.]
Ma·ya
(mä′yə)n. pl. Maya or Ma·yas
1.
a. A member of a Mesoamerican Indian people inhabiting southeast Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, whose civilization reached its height around ad 300-900. The Maya are noted for their architecture and city planning, their mathematics and calendar, and their hieroglyphic writing system.
b. A modern-day descendant of this people.
2. Any of the Mayan languages, especially Quiché and Yucatec.
[Spanish.]
Ma′ya adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | Mayas - an ethnic minority speaking Mayan languages and living in Yucatan and adjacent areas ethnic minority - a group that has different national or cultural traditions from the majority of the population |
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