Dalai Lama

American  

[dah-lahy lah-muh] / ˈdɑ laɪ ˈlɑ mə /

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.

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Dalai Lama British  

/ ˈdælaɪ ˈlɑːmə /

noun

1. (until 1959) the chief lama and ruler of Tibet

2. born 1935, the 14th holder of this office (1940), who fled to India (1959): Nobel peace prize 1989

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Etymology

Origin of Dalai Lama

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

Example Sentences

Beijing was also unhappy over India giving refuge to the Dalai Lama who had fled Tibet after the 1959 uprising.

From BBC

Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet were hit especially hard—the Dalai Lama having already fled the latter in 1959.

From The Wall Street Journal

His published comments did not mention the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who has been living in exile in India since he fled in 1959.

From BBC

Television screens that were supposed to show several films by the artist - one was about the Dalai Lama - had been switched off.

From BBC

The Dalai Lama's announcement that he would have a successor brought relief among Tibetans.

From BBC