mantra

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a repeated word or phrase used in meditation or as a guiding principle

   Persistence over perfection became his daily mantra.

Simplified etymology

Mantra is formed from Sanskrit man- “to think” and -tra, a suffix indicating “means.” The root man- goes back to the same Indo-European root as mind. The general sense of a constantly repeated utterance or slogan is first recorded in 1971.

From Sanskrit mantra ('sacred utterance, instrument of thought'), from man- ('to think') plus the instrumental suffix -tra. Borrowed into English in the 19th century via Hinduism and Buddhism.

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