Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun In Tibetan Buddhism, one who is a religious teacher or is in a position of authority in a monastic community.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A celibate priest or ecclesiastic belonging to that variety of Buddhism known as Lamaism.
  • noun In Samoa, the candlenut-tree (Alcurites Moluccana) or its nut. See kukui.
  • noun A genus of Camelidæ of South America, including the llama, vicugna, alpaca, and guanaco: now called Auchenia.
  • noun See llama.
  • noun A rich material made in Spain in the fifteenth century, described as a cloth of silver shaded and watered.
  • noun A similar stuff of modern manufacture. See lama d'oro, below. Spanish Arts (S. K. Handbook).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) See llama.
  • noun In Tibet, Mongolia, etc., a priest or monk of the belief called Lamaism.
  • noun the supreme pontiff in the lamaistic hierarchy. Until the Chinese occupied Tibet he resided in Lhasa, but now (1998) is in exile. See Lamaism.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A master of Tibetan Buddhism.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun llamas
  • noun a Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Tibetan bla-ma, perhaps from bla, high, soul.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Tibetan བླ་མ (bla-ma).

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Examples

  • The original meaning of the term lama, then, is a highly advanced spiritual teacher.

    Relating to a Spiritual Teacher: Building a Healthy Relationship ��� 2 The Traditional Meaning of a Spiritual Teacher 2000

  • Lama Zopa was not using the Tibetan word lama in one of its looser meanings as simply a monk or as merely a performer of rituals who has completed three years of intensive meditation practice.

    A Portrait of Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche 1983

  • In Sanskrit the word for lama is guru, which literally means heavy in the sense of being possessed of many great qualities leading to altruistic activities.

    Becoming Enlightened Dalai Lama 2009

  • In Sanskrit the word for lama is guru, which literally means heavy in the sense of being possessed of many great qualities leading to altruistic activities.

    Becoming Enlightened Dalai Lama 2009

  • lama is the Hawaiian value of caring and stewardship, and from what I personally know of 800-CEO-READ I am confident that they will be a worthy steward.

    ChangeThis, reborn 2005

  • Boveda brick, also known as "ladrillo de lama" is made for boveda building and it is a special kind of brick, it's size, ligth weight, and absortion rate is what makes it special for it's use in bovedas.

    boveda brick 2001

  • : Boveda brick, also known as "ladrillo de lama" is made for boveda building and it is a special kind of brick, it's size, ligth weight, and absortion rate is what makes it special for it's use in bovedas.

    boveda brick 2001

  • Boveda brick, also known as "ladrillo de lama" is made for boveda building and it is a special kind of brick, it's size, ligth weight, and absortion rate is what makes it special for it's use in bovedas.

    boveda brick 2001

  • : Boveda brick, also known as "ladrillo de lama" is made for boveda building and it is a special kind of brick, it's size, ligth weight, and absortion rate is what makes it special for it's use in bovedas.

    boveda brick 2001

  • Boveda brick, also known as "ladrillo de lama" is made for boveda building and it is a special kind of brick, it's size, ligth weight, and absortion rate is what makes it special for it's use in bovedas.

    boveda brick 2001

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