ahimsa

A1H4I1M3S1A1
/əˈhɪmsɑː/

noun

A doctrine of non-violence, concerned with the sacredness of all living things and an effort to avoid causing harm to them.

UncommonFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 11Word of the Day · Oct 12, 2023

Meanings

nounahimsa (uncountable)

alternative ahinsa

  1. HinduismJainismuncountableBuddhismA doctrine of non-violence, concerned with the sacredness of all living things and an effort to avoid causing harm to them.First known use 19th c.

    This, in essence, is the Jain doctrine of ahimsa – a direct inversion of Vedic beliefs about the sustaining powers of animal sacrifice.

    2016, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, published 2017, page 9
    1 more example

    Already, at this very early date, the ritualists were moving towards the ideal of ahimsa ("harmlessness") that would become the indispensable virtue of the Indian Axial Age.

    2006, Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation, Atlantic Books, published 2007, page 79

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

  1. Sanskritअहिंसा
  2. Sanskritअहिंसा
  3. Englishahimsa

Borrowed from Sanskrit अहिंसा (ahiṃsā).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 不殺生 /不杀生
  • 不殺生 /不杀生 (bùshāshēng)doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Finnish ahimsa
  • ahimsadoctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Indonesian ahimsa
  • ahimsadoctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Japanese 不殺生
  • 不殺生 (fusesshō)doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Korean 비살생
  • 비살생 (bisalsaeng)doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Malay ahimsa
  • ahimsadoctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Portuguese ahimsa
  • ahimsadoctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Swedish ahimsa
  • ahimsadoctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Tamil அகிம்சை
  • அகிம்சை (akimcai)doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Thai อหิงสา
  • อหิงสาdoctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Cite this entry
APA

ahimsa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ahimsa

MLA

“ahimsa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ahimsa. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ahimsa,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ahimsa.

Source: ahimsa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.