Shangri-la
[ shang-gruh-lah, shang-gruh-lah ]
/ ˈʃæŋ grəˌlɑ, ˌʃæŋ grəˈlɑ /
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noun
an imaginary paradise on earth, especially a remote and exotic utopia.
a faraway haven or hideaway of idyllic beauty and tranquility: Last summer we rented a cottage on a little lake—our perfect Shangri-la.
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Origin of Shangri-la
After the fictional Tibetan land of eternal youth in the novel The Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for Shangri-la
Shangri-la
/ (ˌʃæŋɡrɪˈlɑː) /
noun
a remote or imaginary utopia
Word Origin for Shangri-la
C20: from the name of an imaginary valley in the Himalayas, from Lost Horizon (1933), a novel by James Hilton
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
Cultural definitions for Shangri-la
Shangri-La
A fictional land of peace and perpetual youth; the setting for the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by the English author James Hilton, but probably best known from the movie versions. Shangri-La is supposedly in the mountains of Tibet.
notes for Shangri-La
A “Shangri-La,” by extension, is an ideal refuge from the troubles of the world.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.