enlightenment
en-LY-tuhn-munt
/ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt/
A state of supreme spiritual awakening and understanding; also, an 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason.
In Eastern contexts (Bodhi or Satori), it denotes complete awakening to the ultimate truth of existence.
The story behind the word. Combines Old English 'en-' (inward) with 'lighten' (to shed light upon). Western translators in the 19th century picked this word to render the Sanskrit 'Bodhi' (awakening), forever linking the metaphor of light to spiritual truth.
Word relationships
- awakening: Awakening emphasizes the sudden transition from ignorance to awareness, while enlightenment describes the full state of wisdom.
- satori: Satori is a Zen-specific term for sudden intuitive illumination.
- ignorance: Ignorance is lack of knowledge or spiritual awareness.
- delusion: Delusion is persistent belief in false realities.
Commonly confused with
- illumination: Illumination can mean literal lighting or a momentary flash of insight; enlightenment implies permanent shift in understanding.
Word family
- enlighten (verb): To give intellectual or spiritual light to
- enlightened (adjective): Having or showing rational, modern, or well-informed outlook
Collocations
- spiritual enlightenment
- attain enlightenment
- path to enlightenment
- age of enlightenment
Idioms & expressions
- see the light
Example sentences
- "Under the Bodhi tree, Siddhartha Gautama attained full enlightenment." Buddhist Literature
- "The European Age of Enlightenment championed empirical observation over dogma." Philosophical History
Memory hook
Put LIGHT IN the mind to reach ENLIGHTENMENT. Shedding light into spiritual dark.
When not to use
Avoid using for trivial moments of learning a simple fact; save it for profound intellectual or spiritual awakening.
Fun facts
- When translators first rendered Buddhist texts into English, they chose 'Enlightenment' because the European Age of Reason had made 'light' the ultimate metaphor for truth.
Related words
Explore more words
epiphany, insightful, Insight, perspicacious, perceptive, hindsight
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