Dalai Lama

[ dah-lahy lah-muh ]

noun

1. (formerly) the ruler and chief monk of Tibet, believed to be a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara and sought for among newborn children after the death of the preceding Dalai Lama.

Dalai Lama

/ ˈdælaɪ ˈlɑːmə /

noun

1. (until 1959) the chief lama and ruler of Tibet
2. Dalai Lama1935MTibetanRELIGION: religious leader born 1935, the 14th holder of this office (1940), who fled to India (1959): Nobel peace prize 1989

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalai Lama¹

From Mongolian, equivalent to dalai “ocean” + lama “a celibate priest”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalai Lama¹

from Mongolian dalai ocean; see lama

Example Sentences

Besides, the Dalai Lama had already laughed about its improbability.

From The Daily Beast

Though he currently lives in India, the Dalai Lama has told Vreeland that he must return someday to live as a monk in America.

From The Daily Beast

On the one hand, the Dalai Lama is, as he describes himself, “a Buddhist monk.”

From The Daily Beast

Goyeneche practices yoga and follows the Dalai Lama on Twitter.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes the wishful thinking was done by well-known individuals—the Dalai Lama and Ralph Bunche.

From The Daily Beast

It is believed that the present Dalai Lama was permitted to come of age in order to throw off the Chinese yoke.

From Project Gutenberg

We had been in Lhasa nearly three weeks before we could discover where the Dalai Lama had fled.

From Project Gutenberg

The reigning Dalai Lama visits Depung annually, and a palace in the university is reserved for his use.

From Project Gutenberg

He talks of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, and of the great stillness in the heart of the desert.

From Project Gutenberg

The supreme administration is in the hands of a council under the presidency of the Dalai-Lama, known as the "Devashoun."

From Project Gutenberg