ashram

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The Word of the Day for November 17 is: 

ashram   \AHSH-rum\   noun
          1 : a secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage; also : the group of 
disciples instructed there
    *2 : a religious retreat

Example sentence:
     Susan took a semester off from school in order to practice meditation and 
yoga at an ashram.

Did you know?
     "Ashram" first appeared in English in the early 1900s and gained traction 
after Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi founded his famous ashrams at Sabarmati near 
Ahmadabad and at Sevagram near Wardha. The word "ashram" derives from a 
Sanskrit word, “srama,” which means "religious exertion." Later in the 20th 
century, English speakers broadened the term "ashram" to encompass any sort of 
religious retreat, regardless of denomination. In addition to practicing yoga 
and mediation, Susan from our example sentence may also receive instruction 
from a religious teacher and do some type of manual or mental work during her 
stay at the ashram.





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