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Enlightenment

 - 4 dictionary results

en⋅light⋅en⋅ment

  [en-lahyt-n-muhnt]
Use Enlightenment in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act of enlightening.
2. the state of being enlightened: to live in spiritual enlightenment.
3. (usually initial capital letter) Buddhism, Hinduism. prajna.
4. the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.
Origin:
1660–70; enlighten + -ment

praj⋅na

  [pruhj-nyah, -nuh]
–noun Buddhism, Hinduism.
pure and unqualified knowledge.
Also called Enlightenment.

Origin:
< Skt prajñā
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Enlightenment
en·light·en·ment   (ěn-līt'n-mənt)   
n.  

    1. The act or a means of enlightening.

    2. The state of being enlightened.

  2. Enlightenment A philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasized the use of reason to scrutinize previously accepted doctrines and traditions and that brought about many humanitarian reforms. Used with the.

  3. Buddhism & Hinduism A blessed state in which the individual transcends desire and suffering and attains Nirvana.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries marked by a celebration of the powers of human reason, a keen interest in science, the promotion of religious toleration, and a desire to construct governments free of tyranny. Some of the major figures of the Enlightenment were David Hume, Immanuel Kant, John Locke, the Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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