Brahman
1 Americannoun
plural
Brahmans-
Also a member of the highest, or priestly, class among the Hindus.
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Also the impersonal supreme being, the primal source and ultimate goal of all beings, with which Atman, when enlightened, knows itself to be identical.
noun
noun
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Also called (esp formerly): Brahmin. (sometimes not capital) a member of the highest or priestly caste in the Hindu caste system
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Hinduism the ultimate and impersonal divine reality of the universe, from which all being originates and to which it returns
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another name for Brahma 1
Other Word Forms
- Brahmanic adjective
- Brahmanical adjective
- non-Brahmanic adjective
- non-Brahmanical adjective
Etymology
Origin of Brahman1
First recorded in 1475–85; from Sanskrit brāhmaṇa Brahman 1 ( for def. 1 ), brahman Brahman 1 ( for def. 2 )
Origin of Brahman2
1935–40; special use of Brahman priest
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A couple of Brahman cows stand in a field before it cuts to the Texas town’s historic downtown.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2023
Following the development of Buddhism, how did changes in Brahmanism reduce the influence and prestige of the Brahman class as it evolved into Hinduism?
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
The supreme being from whom the universe emerged, Brahman, appears in the ancient sacred writings known as the Vedas without gender.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2022
At Waterloo and elsewhere, Brahman herds are growing and being readied for the journey north.
From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2022
I was seeking Brahman, Atman, I wished to destroy myself, to get away from myself, in order to find in the unknown innermost, the nucleus of all things, Atman, Life, the Divine, the Absolute.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.