Why this word is great
BONSHO — [Noun] A massive bronze bell in Japanese Buddhist temples, struck to mark time and summon monks to meditation. From Japanese 梵鐘 (bonshō), combining 梵 (bon, "sacred" or "Buddhist") and 鐘 (shō, "bell"). Unlike hanshō (smaller, utilitarian temple bells) or shōko (generic secular bells), the bonshō is an instrument of solemn ceremony, its voice meant to traverse distances both physical and spiritual. It is the slow, resonant vibration felt in the ribs before heard by the ears; the way its sound lingers in mist above temple courtyards at dawn; the way the striker must pull the log back with both hands, as if drawing breath before a prayer—a reminder that time, too, is something we measure by echoes.