Save Gender Masculine Usage Sanskrit Scripts मैत्रेय(Sanskrit) Pronounced Pron. /mə.ˈtɹaɪ.ə/(English) [key·simplify] Meaning & History Means "friendly, benevolent" in Sanskrit, ultimately derived from मित्र (mitra) meaning "friend". In Buddhist tradition this is the name of a bodhisattva who will become the next Buddha.