Dalai Lama

[ dah-lahy lah-muh ]

/ ˈdɑ laɪ ˈlɑ mə /

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noun

(formerly) the ruler and chief monk of Tibet, believed to be a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara and sought for among newborn children after the death of the preceding Dalai Lama.

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Compare Tashi Lama.

Origin of Dalai Lama

From Mongolian, equivalent to dalai “ocean” + lama “a celibate priest”

Words nearby Dalai Lama

Dakota Territory, daks, Daktyl, dal, Daladier, Dalai Lama, dalan, dalapon, dalasi, d'Albert, Dalcroze

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Dalai Lama in a sentence

Besides, the Dalai Lama had already laughed about its improbability.
From Fashion Player to Photographer Monk|Nina Strochlic|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though he currently lives in India, the Dalai Lama has told Vreeland that he must return someday to live as a monk in America.
From Fashion Player to Photographer Monk|Nina Strochlic|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the one hand, the Dalai Lama is, as he describes himself, “a Buddhist monk.”
What If Meditation Isn’t Good for You?|Jay Michaelson|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Goyeneche practices yoga and follows the Dalai Lama on Twitter.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Sometimes the wishful thinking was done by well-known individuals—the Dalai Lama and Ralph Bunche.
Up To A Point: What We Really Need Is a Nobel War Prize|P. J. O’Rourke|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is believed that the present Dalai Lama was permitted to come of age in order to throw off the Chinese yoke.
The Unveiling of Lhasa|Edmund Candler
We had been in Lhasa nearly three weeks before we could discover where the Dalai Lama had fled.
The Unveiling of Lhasa|Edmund Candler
The reigning Dalai Lama visits Depung annually, and a palace in the university is reserved for his use.
The Unveiling of Lhasa|Edmund Candler
He talks of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, and of the great stillness in the heart of the desert.
From Pole to Pole|Sven Anders Hedin
The supreme administration is in the hands of a council under the presidency of the Dalai-Lama, known as the "Devashoun."
The Strand Magazine|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama

/ (ˈdælaɪ ˈlɑːmə) /

noun

(until 1959) the chief lama and ruler of Tibet

born 1935, the 14th holder of this office (1940), who fled to India (1959): Nobel peace prize 1989

Word Origin for Dalai Lama

from Mongolian dalai ocean; see lama

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