[FONT=arial, helvetica] Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2007 is:
ashram • \AHSH-rum\ • noun
1 : a secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage; also : the group of disciples instructed there *2 : a religious retreat

Example sentence:
Susan took a semester off from school in order to practice meditation and yoga at an ashram.

Did you know?
"Ashram" first appeared in English in the early 1900s and gained traction after Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi founded his famous ashrams at Sabarmati near Ahmadabad and at Sevagram near Wardha. The word "ashram" derives from a Sanskrit word, "srama," which means "religious exertion." Later in the 20th century, English speakers broadened the term "ashram" to encompass any sort of religious retreat, regardless of denomination. In addition to practicing yoga and mediation, Susan from our example sentence may also receive instruction from a religious teacher and do some type of manual or mental work during her stay at the ashram.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.


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