Jain

How to spell jain

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce jain

What does jain mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to Jainism, the ancient Indian religion that teaches non-violence and asceticism.
2. nounA person who follows Jainism.

Jain in a sentence

• adjective

  The jain temple in the old quarter draws visitors from across the country.

• noun

  As a strict jain, he avoided all foods that involved harming any living creature.

• adjective

  Many jain traditions forbid eating root vegetables to avoid harming small organisms.

• noun

  The conference invited a jain scholar to explain the principle of non-violence.

Where does jain come from?

Language of origin: Sanskrit

This word comes from Sanskrit, where 'jaina' meant 'belonging to a jina', a jina being a spiritual conqueror or victor. The root jina derives from the Sanskrit verb 'ji', meaning 'to conquer' or 'to win', and it was applied to the great teachers, the Tirthankaras, who were said to have conquered all worldly desires and passions. The term reached English in the 1800s, largely through colonial-era scholarship and the Hindi pronunciation of the same root, to name a follower of this ancient Indian religion of non-violence and asceticism. The spelling keeps the 'ai' vowel that mirrors the long Sanskrit sound, which is the small trap for English writers who might expect 'jane' or 'jayn'. A useful memory anchor is that the same idea of conquest sits at the heart of the word: a Jain follows the path of those who 'conquered' the self.

How the word is built

• jain (from Sanskrit jaina 'of or relating to a jina')
• jina (conqueror, victor)