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Shinto

[shin-toh]
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noun
  1. Also Shin·to·ism. the native religion of Japan, primarily a system of nature and ancestor worship.
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adjective
  1. Also Shin·to·is·tic. of, relating to, or characteristic of Shinto.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for shinto

Historical Examples

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for shinto

Shinto

noun
  1. 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
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Derived FormsShintoism, nounShintoist, noun, adjective

Word Origin

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

n.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper