peepul

noun

pee·​pul ˈpē-(ˌ)pəl 

variants or peepal or pipal

plural peepuls or peepals or pipals

: a large, long-lived fig tree (Ficus religiosa) with widely spreading branches that is native from India to southeastern Asia and often begins growth as an epiphyte

A breeze blows through three large trees – two peepuls and a neem.

—Divya Guha

It is said that it was here under a peepal tree that Prince Siddhartha meditated until he attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago and became known as the Buddha – the awakened one.

—Kencho Wangdi

called also bo tree, bodhi tree, sacred fig

Examples of peepul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People don’t tend the peepul for its fruit. —Jared Farmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2023

Eternal leaf of the peepul tree, not far from Benares and the Ganges, under which a beggar prince dispelled the sorrow and fear of dying. —Claudio Magris, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021

Down to green river valleys that look like capsule Edens: lush grasslands shaded by peepul trees, rare Kol farmsteads, and trails along which no car in history has ever moved. —Paul Salopek, National Geographic, 15 May 2019

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu pīpal, from Sanskrit pippala

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined above