lama

[lah-muh]

noun

1. a priest or monk in Lamaism.

lama

/ ˈlɑːmə /

noun

1. a priest or monk of Lamaism

lama

1. In the Buddhism of Tibet, a monk or priest. The chief of the lamas is the Dalai Lama.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lama¹

1645–55; < Tibetan lama (spelling bla ma ) literally, superior one (in Tibetan applied only to monks of high rank)

Word History and Origins

Origin of lama¹

C17: from Tibetan blama

Example Sentences

"The Tibetan lama said the main thing the orcas can teach us is how to breathe."

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“I need them by full moon,” the older lama says, adding that they will allow him to set things right.

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Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a separatist and asserts that only the ruling Communist Party — an avowed atheist organization — can name his next incarnation and those of other high lamas.

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Nowadays, the landlocked nation sandwiched between Russia and China is overwhelmingly Buddhist, with traditional links to Tibet’s leading lamas, including the Dalai Lama.

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Fast-forward and The Times would chronicle the visit of a Tibetan lama reincarnate in 1995, the comings and goings of various rides, employee protests, the park’s pandemic closure, and price hikes.

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Related Words

• cleric 
• elder 
• father 
• friar 
• monk 
• preacher 
• rector