A Buddhist monk or priest, especially one from Japan or Southeast Asia who follows strict monastic traditions.
From Japanese 'bōzu' (boy, apprentice, or priest), derived from Sanskrit 'bodhi' (awakening). Entered English through Portuguese traders in the 16th-17th centuries as contact increased with Asian Buddhist cultures.
The word 'bonze' traveled the same trade routes as spices and silk—it's a linguistic souvenir of European explorers encountering Buddhism and needing a word to describe these holy wanderers!
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