koan
[koh-ahn]
- a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.
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Compare mondo1.
Origin of koan
1945–50; < Japanese kōan, earlier koũ-an < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese gōngàn public proposal
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
koan
- (in Zen Buddhism) a problem or riddle that admits no logical solution
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Word Origin
from Japanese
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for koan
n.
Zen paradox, 1946, from Japanese ko "public" + an "matter for thought."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper