Ja·ta·ka 
(jätə-kə)
(jätə-kə)n.
Any of a genre of Buddhist texts containing stories about a former birth of Gautama Buddha.
[Sanskrit Jātakam, from neut. of jātaka-, engendered (by), born (under), from jāta-, past participle of janate, he is born; see genə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]