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bonze

American  
[bonz] / bɒnz /

noun

  1. a Buddhist monk, especially of Japan or China.


bonze British  
/ bɒnz /

noun

  1. a Chinese or Japanese Buddhist priest or monk

"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

Etymology

Origin of bonze

1580–90; < Middle French < Portuguese bonzo or New Latin bonzius < Japanese bonsō, bonzō ordinary priest ( bon- ordinary + priest < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese f án-sēng ); or < dialectal Japanese bonzu for bōzu 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.

See Examples For:

“Hopefully it’s soon,” Elway said Friday night at a ceremony dedicating a bonze likeness of Bowlen outside Sports Authority Field.

From Washington Times Nov. 2, 2015

In the years of war against Paris, the French suspected, probably rightly, that the lithe bonze with the burning eyes was helping Ho's Viet Minh front.

From Time Magazine Archive

A Laotian bonze is likely to remind questioners that for a priest to talk politics violates one of the 227 Theravadan rules of conduct.

From Time Magazine Archive

"The robe does not make the bonze," said Mme.

From Time Magazine Archive

He’s painted himself in the style of a bonze, looking a little bit Japanese.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

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