sati1
/ˈsʌtiː
/ /sʌˈtiː /(also suttee)
noun (plural satis or suttees) [mass noun] historical
1A former practice in India whereby a widow threw herself on to her husband's funeral pyre.Her grandmother was widowed and they burned her alive in suttee, a Hindu practice the British stopped....
- In general, Hindu practices, and sati in particular, are repeatedly characterized as demonic in a manner similar to European witchcraft.
- To explain the weakness of such a position I used to ask them whether the British authorities in India were justified in banning the practice of suttee, where a widow was immolated on the funeral pyre of her husband.
1.1 [count noun] A widow who committed sati.There is another traditional verse celebrating five satis, chaste wives: Sati, Sita, Savitri, Damayanti and Arundhati....
- Instances abound in our social, political and cultural history where nation mothers, Partition victims, satis or even simple housewives tend to stimulate a role-playing among men to become protectors, devotees and wage earners.
- The sati is the epitome of the obedient wife, but her burning is irredeemably barbaric.
Origin
Hindi, from Sanskrit satī 'faithful wife', from sat 'good'.
Sati2
/ˈsʌtiː/Hinduism
The wife of Shiva, reborn as Parvati. According to some accounts, she died by throwing herself into a sacred fire.