Pa‐go″da (?), n. [Pg. pagoda, pagode, fr. Hind. & Per. but-kadah a house of idols, or abode of God; Per. but an idol + kadah a house, a temple.] 1. A term by which Europeans designate religious temples and tower-like buildings of the Hindus and Buddhists of India, Farther India, China, and Japan, — usually but not always, devoted to idol worship.
2. An idol. Brande & C.
3. [Prob. so named from the image of a pagoda or a deity (cf. Skr. bhagavat holy, divine) stamped on it.] A gold or silver coin, of various kinds and values, formerly current in India. The Madras gold pagoda was worth about three and a half rupees.