Tendai

noun

Ten·​dai

ˈten¦dī

plural -s

: a Japanese Buddhist sect founded in the 9th century a.d. by Dengyo Daishi that is the doctrinal equivalent of the Chinese T'ien T'ai sect

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, from Chinese (Pekingese) t'ien¹ t'ai² t'ien t'ai, from T'ien¹ T'ai², mountain in Chekiang province, eastern China, where the doctrine was first formulated

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