maithuna means tantric sexual union. It carries an Arena rating of 1407, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, maithuna ranks #2,988 of 13,218 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,737 of 13,218 for Scariest Words, #4,054 of 13,218 for Most Sublime Words, #4,227 of 13,218 for Most Satisfying to Say.
Why “maithuna” is a great word
A sacred, ritualized sexual act performed as a means of spiritual realization within certain Tantric traditions. Borrowed from Sanskrit मैथुन (maithuna, 'copulation, sexual union'). Unlike *kama*, which denotes secular desire or aesthetic pleasure, or *yoga*, which signifies ascetic discipline or a transcendent union, *maithuna* is the deliberate, consecrated union of masculine and feminine principles through prescribed intercourse. It is the liturgy of synchronized breath amidst temple shadows, the precise geometry of intertwined bodies acting as a living mandala, and the alchemical transformation of physical ecstasy into a vehicle for transcendence—a profound paradox where the most earthly of acts becomes a gateway to the divine.
Etymology
Borrowed from Sanskrit मैथुन (maithuna).
noun
- tantric sexual union“In Tantric intercourse, or maithuna, neither the man nor the woman is on the bottom in the sense of inferiority, but both sit in equality, face to face.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- tantrism 86% match — tantric beliefs and practices generally vs maithuna →
- sadhana 84% match — A spiritual practice or discipline leading to a goal. vs maithuna →
- yogini 83% match — A female yogi. vs maithuna →
- kundalini 82% match — An energy said to lie coiled at the base of the spine and to be released by yoga. vs maithuna →
- vamachara 82% match — A follower of the vamachara path. vs maithuna →
- karezza 82% match — Non-religious spiritual sexual practices that draw upon tantric techniques of body control but do not involve any of tantra's cultural or iconographic symbolism; intended to promote birth control, equality for women, and marital pleasure and fidelity. vs maithuna →
- sadhaka 82% match — A person who follows a particular sadhana, or goal-directed spiritual practice. vs maithuna →
- purushartha 82% match — Any of four proper goals or aims of a human life: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. vs maithuna →