Hinduismn.
/ˈhɪnduːɪz(ə)m/, /hɪnˈduːɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /ˈhɪnduˌɪzəm/ A major religious and cultural tradition originating in India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and encompassing a variety of gods representing aspects of a supreme deity; this regarded as constituting a single religion.Hinduism includes a variety of social, devotional, and ritual practices, of which belief in the four Purusarthas, or the proper goals of human life, is a major theme, as are concepts such as dharma, karma, and moksha (see dharma n. 1a, karma n. 1, moksha n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > sect > non-Christian religions > Hinduism > [noun]
Hinduism1786
1786 Asiatick Misc. 2 12 [He] apostatized from Hinduism, and became a Mussulman.
1829 H. B. Henderson Bengalee 46 I became..almost a convert to their goodly habits and observances of Hindooism.
1890 Calcutta Rev. Apr. 331 Hinduism embraces within its fold all phases of belief and even of unbeliefs, from the extreme agnosticism of the Nastics and Charbaks to the popular polytheistic creed of the believers of the myriads of Hindu gods and goddesses.
1927 S. Radhakrishnan Hindu View of Life iv. 129 There has been no such thing as a uniform stationary unalterable Hinduism... Hinduism is a movement, not a position; a process, not a result; a growing tradition, not a fixed revelation.
2011 M. Nanda God Market (new ed.) Introd. p. xxxiv Hinduism..has shown an exceptional flexibility in accommodating to modernity and globalization.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1786