English Online Dictionary. What means zen? What does zen mean?
Translingual
Symbol
zen
- (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Zenaga.
English
Alternative forms
- Zen
Etymology
From Zen. In more general use, popularized by Eugen Herrigel's 1948 Zen in the Art of Archery and Robert M. Pirsig's 1974 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɛn
Noun
zen (uncountable)
- (religion) Synonym of enlightenment, particularly the kind acquired through Zen meditation.
- An approach to instruction, understanding, or an activity similarly emphasizing simplicity and intuition rather than conventional thinking or fixation on goals.
Synonyms
- (a simple & intuitive method reflecting supposed Eastern wisdom): tao
Adjective
zen (comparative more zen, superlative most zen)
- (religion) Alternative letter-case form of Zen: of or related to Zen Buddhism, particularly its focus on indirect teaching of wisdom through riddles and stories.
- 2006 Oct. 1, Dennis Lehane, "Refugees", The Wire, 00:37:10:
- Greggs: You hung over? Just sayin', you look like shit.
Moreland: You know what you need at a crime scene?
Greggs: Rubber glove?
Moreland: Soft eyes.
Greggs: Like I'm s'posed to cry an' shit?
Moreland: You got soft eyes, you can see the whole thing. You got hard eyes? You starin' at the same tree, missin' the forest.
Greggs: Ah. Zen shit.
Moreland: Soft eyes, grasshopper.
- Greggs: You hung over? Just sayin', you look like shit.
- 2006 Oct. 1, Dennis Lehane, "Refugees", The Wire, 00:37:10:
- (colloquial) Wise, displaying enlightenment or similar wisdom, insightful, unburdened and free of worries, extremely relaxed and capable.
Usage notes
In general application, zen can carry orientalizing overtones, particularly of smug superiority over conventional western thought. It is therefore also applied sarcastically to disparage shallow understanding, feigned wisdom, or bullshitting.
References
- “zen”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
- Enz, NZE
Antillean Creole
Noun
zen
- fishhook
Aynu
Etymology
Related to Persian زن (zan).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zɛn/
Noun
zen
- woman
References
- Otto Ladstätter, Andreas Tietze, Die Abdal (Äynu) in Xinjiang (1994)
Basque
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -en
- Hyphenation: zen
Verb
zen (masculine allocutive zuan, feminine allocutive zunan)
- Third-person singular (hura) past indicative form of izan.
Finnish
Etymology
From Japanese 禅 (zen).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈzen/, [ˈze̞n]
- IPA(key): /ˈtsen/, [ˈts̠e̞n]
- Rhymes: -en
- Syllabification(key): zen
Noun
zen
- zen
Declension
Further reading
- "zen" in Kielitoimiston sanakirja (Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish).
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zɛn/
- Rhymes: -ɛn
Noun
zen m (plural zen)
- zen
Adjective
zen (invariable)
- (relational) zen
- (colloquial) extremely relaxed and collected
Further reading
- “zen”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
- nez
Haitian Creole
Noun
zen
- fishhook
Indonesian
Etymology
From Japanese 禅 (ぜん, zen), from Middle Chinese 禪 (MC dzyen) (compare Mandarin 禅 (chán), an abbreviation of 禪那 (MC dzyen na), from Sanskrit ध्यान (dhyāna, “a type of meditation”). Akin to dhyana.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zɛn/
- Hyphenation: zèn
Noun
zen
- (religion) A denomination of Buddhism.
Further reading
- “zen” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
Japanese
Romanization
zen
- Rōmaji transcription of ぜん
Mandarin
Romanization
zen
- Nonstandard spelling of zēn.
- Nonstandard spelling of zěn.
- Nonstandard spelling of zèn.
Usage notes
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Middle English
Noun
zen
- (Kent) Alternative form of synne
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 禅, from Middle Chinese 禪 (MC dzyen).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zɛn/
- Rhymes: -ɛn
- Syllabification: zen
Noun
zen m inan or zen n (indeclinable)
- zen (denomination of Buddhism)
Declension
Masculine inanimate:
This word is indeclinable when used as a neuter noun.
Further reading
- zen in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- zen in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Pronunciation
Noun
zen m (uncountable)
- Zen
- (religion) denomination of Buddhism
- (informal) philosophy
Adjective
zen (invariable)
- zen
- (religion) pertaining to the Zen denomination of Buddhism
- (informal) extremely relaxing
- (informal, of a person) calm, peaceful, not easily angered
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Spain) /ˈθen/ [ˈθẽn]
- IPA(key): (Latin America) /ˈsen/ [ˈsẽn]
- Rhymes: -en
- Syllabification: zen
Adjective
zen (invariable)
- zen
Noun
zen m (uncountable)
- zen
Further reading
- “zen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Volapük
Etymology
Borrowed from German Zinder, French cendre and English cinder.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /t͡sen/
Noun
zen (nominative plural zens)
- ash, cinder
- 1952, Epistle to the Hebrews, 9.13,14, translated by Arie de Jong.
- 1952, Epistle to the Hebrews, 9.13,14, translated by Arie de Jong.