noun
guna
GUU-nuh
noun
1
In Hindu philosophy, one of three fundamental qualities said to make up nature and personality: purity, activity, and inertia.
"The teacher explained how the three gunas shape a person's temperament."
2
In Sanskrit grammar, a strengthening of a vowel by adding an "a" sound before it.
"The rule of guna changes the vowel in certain verb forms."
How to Use Guna
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA Sanskrit term for a fundamental "quality" — used both in philosophy (three qualities of nature) and in grammar (a type of vowel change).
Word Forms
gunas plural
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The teacher explained how the three _____ shape a person's temperament.
Etymology
From Sanskrit गुण (guṇá), meaning "quality" or "attribute".