Samanera
/səˌmɑːnəˈrɑː/noun
A novice Buddhist monk who has received preliminary ordination but has not yet taken full monastic vows.
Did you know?Samanera is the Pali form of Sanskrit śrāmaṇera, a diminutive related to śramaṇa, the ancient title for wandering religious practitioners who rejected ordinary worldly life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*śrem-
“To exert oneself or undertake strenuous effort; the proposed ancestral root behind the Indic ascetic terminology.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śramaṇa
“A religious striver, ascetic, or wandering renunciant.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śrāmaṇera
“A young or junior ascetic; a novice in a Buddhist monastic community.”
3rd Century BCE onward
Pali
sāmaṇera
“A Buddhist novice monk, especially one undertaking the preliminary training rules.”
Medieval to Modern Period
Theravada Buddhist traditions
sāmaṇera
“A male novice ordained before eligibility for full monastic ordination, often before age twenty.”
Modern English
English
samanera
“A novice Buddhist monk, used chiefly in writing about Theravada Buddhism.”