geisha
Americannoun
-
geisha,
plural
-
geishas
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of geisha
1890–95; < Japanese, equivalent to gei arts (< Chinese ) + -sha person (< Chin)
Vocabulary lists containing geisha
Japanese History - Middle School and High School
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Japanese History - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
In Japanese, the word geisha means "person of the arts", and can refer to a woman or man trained in traditional Japanese performing arts.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
At a hot-springs resort in the snowiest mountains of Japan, a wealthy and bored man named Shimamura becomes involved with Komako, a geisha.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Hemingway “swearing they’d been served by geisha girls,” according to Gellhorn.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025
All around us are kabuki headpieces, hand-painted kimono fabric, brocade floor-length jackets and geisha dolls frozen inside glass cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2022
She told me to stay away from those girls, they were just being mean, and if I wanted lessons from the old geisha woman, Mama herself would take me over there and arrange it.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
But the number of geishas, who once made a living through performing for Japan's wealthy elite, is in decline.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
In addition to his real estate business, Miyamoto also runs an entertainment-related business involving maikos, or apprentice geishas.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2023
Hemming characters into confined spaces doesn’t preclude cinematic power — especially in stories about the economically precarious life of geishas.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2019
But ninjas and geishas programmed with narrative loops similar to their gun-slinging counterparts wasn’t the only highlight of the Japanese theme park.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2018
When he emerged from behind the screen, the geishas were frightened and drew back in alarm; for he was no longer the gentle little monkey merchant, but a real devil.
From Japan A Record in Colour by Dorothy Menpes
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