• ashram •
Pronunciation: ah-shrahm • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. A place of religious retreat and sanctuary, especially a Hindu retreat. 2. A hermitage, a secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage.
Notes: This word is seldom heard in conversations; it is more often read in published works. Someone who lives in an ashram may be called an ashramite, the sole lexical relative.
In Play: This word is most closely associated with India: "Swami Keshabanana greeted me warmly at the entrance of his ashram and led my meditations there for several weeks." However, it is used today to refer to any religious or otherwise contemplative retreat: "Fowler Fairweather was born in Chicago but spent time with his mother in a rural ashram of polyamory, communal parenting, and socialist politics headed by retired jazz musician Bertha D. Blues."
Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Sanskrit āśrama "holy retreat", made from ā "towards, -ward" + śram "toil, fatigue, (religious) exertion". Śram is the Sanskrit rendition of PIE k'lem- "weak, feeble", Greek klamaran "feeble, weak", Breton klañv "sick", Welsh claf "sick, ill", Cornish klav "sick", Bengali klānta "tired", and Kashmiri klesh "pain". (Thank you Susan Maynard for today's exotic Good Word and all your contributions since 2010.)
