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
Divya GuhaIt 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
Kencho Wangdicalled 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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Peepul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peepul. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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