Shinto

[shin-toh]

noun

Also Shin·to·ism. the native religion of Japan, primarily a system of nature and ancestor worship.

adjective

Also Shin·to·is·tic. of, relating to, or characteristic of Shinto.

Origin of Shinto

< Japanese shintō, earlier shintau < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese shéndào way of the gods

Related formsShin·to·ist, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shinto

Historical Examples of shinto

Shinto Temples, temples (in Japan) devoted to the Shinto religion.
Architecture
Thomas Roger Smith
One afternoon the great Shinto procession of the year was in progress.
Travels in the Far East
Ellen Mary Hayes Peck
Nearly all of the temples are dedicated to Shinto goddesses.
Travels in the Far East
Ellen Mary Hayes Peck
The ethics of Shinto were all included in conformity to custom.
Folkways
William Graham Sumner
It is considered sacred, and is studded with Shinto temples.
The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II
A.E. Nordenskieold

British Dictionary definitions for shinto

Shinto

noun

the indigenous religion of Japan, polytheistic in character and incorporating the worship of a number of ethnic divinities, from the chief of which the emperor is believed to be descended

Derived FormsShintoism, nounShintoist, noun, adjective

Word Origin for Shinto

C18: from Japanese: the way of the gods, from Chinese shên gods + tao way

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

Word Origin and History for shinto

Shinto

native religious system of Japan, 1727, from Chinese shin tao "way of the gods," from shin "god, gods, spirit" + tao "way, path, doctrine." Related: Shintoism.