koan

[ koh-ahn ]
/ ˈkoʊ ɑn /

noun, plural ko·ans, ko·an. Zen.

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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Origin of koan

1945–50; < Japanese kōan, earlier koũ-an < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese gōngàn public proposal

Words nearby koan

knut, knäckebröd, ko, koa, koala, koan, koap, kob, kobarid, kobe, kobe beef
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for koan

koan
/ (ˈkəʊæn) /

noun

(in Zen Buddhism) a problem or riddle that admits no logical solution

Word Origin for koan

from Japanese
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012