As a deity name
Name 691 of the Vishnu Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Bhishma to Yudhishthira on his deathbed
As a Hindi name
तीर्थकर · noun · masculine
विष्णु · जिन · शास्त्रकार (को॰) — Śabdasāgara
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
a head of a sect
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (3)Why this matches what you typed
The spelling you confirmed, तीर्थकर, is itself a dictionary headword — no grammatical transformation stands between what you typed and the meaning above.
Gender counterpart
The kosha attests this stem in the feminine, the masculine, and the neuter — the same name serves without alteration.
Dictionary citations
tīrtha—kara mfn. creating a passage (through life), MBh. xiii, 7023 (Viṣṇu)
tīrtha—kara m. Śiva
a head of a sect, Sarvad. iv, vi, ix
= -kṛt, Jain.
tīrthakara m. (-raḥ) One of the synonyms of a Jina or sanctified teacher of the Jaina sect. E. tīrtha pure, purity, and kara who does or acts; also retaining the nasal tīrthaṅkara.
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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