Portuguese explorers slapped 'pagoda' on Asian temples in the 1500s — its ultimate origin is still debated.
A tiered tower with multiple eaves, used as a Buddhist, Hindu, or Taoist temple or monument, found especially in East and Southeast Asia.
The word entered English from Portuguese 'pagode,' which the Portuguese encountered in South and Southeast Asia in the sixteenth century. The ultimate origin is disputed. The leading theories are: (1) from a Dravidian language, possibly Tamil or Telugu, related to a word for a deity house; (2) from Sanskrit 'भगवती' (bhagavatī, holy one, goddess), through a Dravidian intermediary; (3) from Persian 'butkada' (idol temple), from 'but' (idol, from Buddha) and 'kada' (temple). The Portuguese reshaped whichever source word they encountered into 'pagode,' and English borrowed
Nobody is entirely sure where the word 'pagoda' comes from. The Portuguese carried it to Europe in the 1500s, but linguists have debated its origin for centuries. It might come from Sanskrit 'bhagavatī' (goddess), from Persian 'butkada' (idol temple), or from a Dravidian word for a deity house