From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpagodapa‧go‧da /pəˈɡəʊdə $ -ˈɡoʊ-/ noun [countable] RRBa Buddhist temple (=religious building) that has several levels with a decorated roof at each level
Examples from the Corpus
pagoda• I knew the land climbed slightly upward in the direction of a pagoda somewhere in front of us.• The group also is in the middle of a $ 45,000 project to renovate a pagoda in the ancient quarter.• He had seen the etchings of it one evening after performing a ritual of weed-pulling from the tombs behind the abandoned pagoda.• Buddhist pagodas have sprung back to life.• In the early-morning sun the incomparably beautiful Shwe Dagon pagoda with its gold-plated spire could be seen from some miles away.• There is no dividing line between the pagoda and life outside.• He just went to the pagoda until he met some one who spoke his dialect.• Now the Khmer Rouge take their land and smash their pagodas.Origin pagoda (1500-1600) Portuguese pagode, probably from Sanskrit bhagavat “blessed” 