As a deity name
Name 1 of the Durga Sahasranāma — Kula Arnava Tantra / Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
Name 97 of the Lakshmi Sahasranāma — Skanda Purana / Sanat Kumara Samhita, as taught by Sages Sanatkumara and Devotees
Name 291 of the Saraswati Sahasranāma — Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Brahma / Sages
As a Hindi name
महाविद्या · noun · feminine
तंत्र में मानी हुई दस देवियाँ जिनके नाम इस प्रकार हैं—(१) काली, (२) तारा, (३) षोडशी, (४) भुवनेश्वरी, (५) भैरवी, (६) छिन्नमस्ता, (७) धूमावती, (८) बगलामुखी, (९) मातंगी और (१०) कमलात्मिका । इन्हें सिद्ध विद्या भी कहते हैं । कुछ तांत्रिकों का यह मत है कि इन्हीं दस महविद्याओं ने दस अवतार धारण किए थे · दुर्गा देवी · गंगा — Śabdasāgara
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
a gr˚ or exalted science
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (6)Why this matches what you typed
The spelling you confirmed, महाविद्या, is itself a dictionary headword — no grammatical transformation stands between what you typed and the meaning above.
Dictionary citations
mahā—vidyā f. a gr˚ or exalted science, MW.
N. of Lakṣmī, VP. (= viśva-rūpopāsanā Comm.)
of Durgā, MārkP.
of a Mantra, Cat.
pl. of a class of personifications of the Śakti or female energy of Śiva (10 in number), RTL. 187
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
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