Zen
Zen is a type of Buddhism that focuses on awareness through the practice of meditation.
(noun)An example of Zen is a rock garden that is tended to meditate.
The definition of zen is slang for feeling peaceful and relaxed.
(adjective)An example of zen as an adjective is to have a zen experience, how you feel during a day at the spa.
See Zen in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- a variety of Buddhism, now practiced esp. in Japan, Vietnam, and Korea, seeking to attain an intuitive illumination of mind and spirit through meditation, esp. on paradoxes
- the teachings and discipline of this kind of Buddhism
Origin: Jpn < Chin ch'an, ult. < Sans dhyāna, thinking, meditation < IE base *dhyā, to see, contemplate > Gr sēma, a sign, symbol
adjective
See Zen in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Origin:
Origin: Japanese zen
Origin: , from Chinese (Mandarin) chán, meditation
Origin: , from Pali jhānaṃ
Origin: , from Sanskrit dhyānam
Origin: , from dhyāti, he meditates
. Word History: It is hard to believe that a word as Asian as Zen is ultimately an Indo-European word. Zen, which has been in English since 1727, is the Japanese pronunciation of Chinese chán, “quietude.” Chán comes from Pali jhānaṃ, from Sanskrit dhyānam, “meditation,” from the Sanskrit root dhyā-, dhī-, “to see, observe.” The Indo-European root behind the Sanskrit is *dheiə-, *dhyā-, “to see, look at.” This root also shows up in Greek, where *dhyā- developed into sā-, as in Common Greek *sāma, “sign, distinguishing mark.” This became sēma in Attic Greek, the source of English semantic.Learn more about Zen
