Bonze
/bɒnz/noun
A Buddhist monk or priest, especially in older Western descriptions of East Asian Buddhism.
Did you know?European writers often used “bonze” as a generalized label for Buddhist clergy, even though Buddhist monastic titles differ substantially across Asian traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Middle Chinese
房主
“House master or head of a household”
Medieval Japan
Japanese
坊主 (bōzu)
“Originally a religious or temple authority; later, a Buddhist priest or monk”
16th Century
Portuguese
bonzo
“A Buddhist priest, borrowed from Japanese”
16th–17th Century
French
bonze
“A Buddhist priest or monk”
Modern English
English
bonze
“A Buddhist monk or priest, chiefly in historical or literary usage”