satori
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satori¹
- /səˈtɔːɹi/ UK
- /sæ-/ UK
- /səˈtɔɹi/ US
Rhymes with -ɔːɹi
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Japanese 悟り (satori, “understanding; (Buddhism) enlightenment, satori”), from 悟る (satoru, “to perceive; to comprehend, understand; to come to enlightenment”), from Middle Chinese 悟 (nguH, “to become aware, apprehend, realize; to awaken”) (modern Mandarin 悟 (wù)), used to translate Pali bodhi (“supreme knowledge”) or its etymon Sanskrit बोधि (bodhi, “perfect knowledge or wisdom by which a person becomes a buddha or jina; enlightened or illuminated intellect of a Buddha or jina”).
Etymology 1 sense 3 (“mutant gene of Drosophila that causes homosexual behaviour in males”) was coined by the Japanese scientist Daisuke Yamamoto in a 1991 paper, based on the Japanese term.
noun satoris · Satori
- A sudden inexpressible feeling of spiritual awakening or enlightenment, the result of meditation and study. [B]y his ſublime underſtanding and reputed great knovvledge in divine myſteries he obtain'd, and ſtill keeps, the name and repute of a Godo, that is, a perſon bleſs'd vvith a divine and moſt accute underſtanding, vvhom they ſuppoſe to be able to find out by his Satori, or Enthuſiaſtic Speculations,
- Enlightenment, epiphany. What happened to the Merry Band on its trip during the summer of 1964 ranged from the cosmically sublime to the ridiculous, from peak ecstasy to full-tilt satori. To say that they were merely high would do a disservice to how stoned they really were, […]
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A mutant gene of Drosophila, a genus of fruit flies, that causes homosexual behaviour in males (specifically, courtship directed to other males).
We have isolated a new Drosophila mutant, satori (sat), the males of which do not court or copulate with female flies. […] We have screened about 2000 fly lines with single P-element insertions for altered sexual behavior, yielding a mutant named satori (sat; nirvana in Japanese), the males of which
Similar: sat
satori²
- /səˈtɔːɹi/ UK
- /sæ-/ UK
- /səˈtɔɹi/ US
Rhymes with -ɔːɹi
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Japanese 覚 (satori), from Middle Chinese 覺 (kaewk, “to become aware, awaken to, dawn on”) (modern Mandarin 覺 /觉 (jué); referring to the creature’s mind-reading ability).
noun satoris
- A yokai (“supernatural monster”) having the form of a mind-reading monkey-like creature said to dwell in the mountains of the historical Japanese provinces of Hida and Mino (present-day Gifu Prefecture). The Satori appears in [Toriyama] Sekien's Konjyaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki as a hairy, ape-like, mountain-dwelling creature that can read people's minds[…].
Satori³
noun
- Alternative form of satori
Translations
Talk about this word "satori." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/satori. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. satori. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/satori "satori." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/satori.Cite this
@misc{satori_2026,
title = {satori},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/satori},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
