jhana

J8H4A1N1A1

A form of dhyana — A type of profound meditation.

OriginPali jhāna →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nounjhana (countable and uncountable, plural jhanas)

plural jhanas

  1. HinduismalternativecountableuncountableBuddhismAlternative spelling of dhyana.

    The first time I heard about the jhanas, they sounded too good to be true. These special mental states are described in the sacred texts of an ancient school of Buddhism.

    2024 March 4, Ross Andersen, “The Meditation Start-Up That’s Selling Bliss on Demand”, in The Atlantic

Origin

  1. Palijhāna
  2. Palijhāna
  3. Englishjhana

Learned borrowing from Pali jhāna. Doublet of dhyana.

More words from Pali

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Jahanajahnhanja
Cite this entry
APA

jhana. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jhana

MLA

“jhana.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jhana. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jhana,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jhana.

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