bonze

/ˈbɒnz/

Etymology

From French bonze, from Portuguese bonzo, from Japanese 凡僧 (bonzō), from Middle Chinese 凡 (bjom, “ordinary”) + 僧 (song, “Buddhist monk”).

Why this word is great

BONZE — [Noun] A Buddhist monk or priest in East Asia. From French bonze, via Portuguese bonzo, from Japanese 凡僧 (bonzō), itself from Middle Chinese 凡 (bjom, "ordinary") + 僧 (song, "Buddhist monk"). Unlike "monk" (a blanket term for ascetics of any faith) or "lama" (a Tibetan spiritual leader), "bonze" evokes the humble, workaday cleric of East Asian temples. It is the shaved head bowed over a begging bowl at dawn, the rhythmic chant muffled by incense-thick air, the plain robe brushing against wooden sandals on stone steps—a figure neither exalted nor pitied, but simply present, moving through the world with the quiet certainty of one who has chosen the ordinary path to transcendence.

noun

  1. A Buddhist monk or priest in East Asia.