sahwa

S1A1H4W4A1

noun

A series of political purges in the late 15th and 16th centuries, during which sarim scholars were persecuted by political rivals.

OriginKorean 사화 →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounsahwa pl (plural only)
  1. historicalpluralplural onlyA series of political purges in the late 15th and 16th centuries, during which sarim scholars were persecuted by political rivals.

    Executed during the sahwa of 1722.

    1999, Keith L. Pratt, Richard Rutt, James Hoare, Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary, page 217
    1 more example

    The origins of factionalism in Yi Korea can probably be traced back to the sahwa (literati purges).

    2020, Ching Young Choe, The Rule of the Taewŏnʾgun, 1864-1873, page 205

Origin

  1. Korean사화
  2. Englishsahwa

From Korean 사화 (sahwa).

More words from Korean

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

awashsawah
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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