Jainism

[ jahy-niz-uhm ]

/ ˈdʒaɪ nɪz əm /

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noun

a dualistic religion founded in the 6th century b.c. as a revolt against current Hinduism and emphasizing the perfectibility of human nature and liberation of the soul, especially through asceticism and nonviolence toward all living creatures.

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Origin of Jainism

First recorded in 1855–60; Jain + -ism

Words nearby Jainism

jailer, jail fever, jailhouse, jailhouse lawyer, Jain, Jainism, Jaipur, Jajapura, Jakarta, jake, jakes

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

How to use Jainism in a sentence

Some of the words from the Article, "Hinduisn and Jainism" contain stand-alone acute accents, which have been retained.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, December 1879|Various
Like Buddhism, Jainism, and Christianity, it owed its origin to a single founder.
Introduction to the History of Religions|Crawford Howell Toy
The first two gradually decayed and made way for the last, although Jainism remained powerful until the tenth century.
Hinduism And Buddhism, Volume II. (of 3)|Charles Eliot
Jainism is an Indian religion so like Buddhism as to have been considered by many to be a sect of the latter.
History of Religion|Allan Menzies

The organization into communities was made by Buddha2065 and, apparently contemporaneously, by Mahavira, the founder of Jainism.
Introduction to the History of Religions|Crawford Howell Toy

British Dictionary definitions for Jainism

Jainism

/ (ˈdʒaɪˌnɪzəm) /

noun

an ancient Hindu religion, which has its own scriptures and believes that the material world is eternal, progressing endlessly in a series of vast cycles

Derived forms of Jainism

Jainist, noun, adjective

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