karma

American  

[kahr-muh] / ˈkɑr mə /

noun

1. Hinduism, Buddhism. action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation: in Hinduism one of the means of reaching Brahman.

2. Theosophy. the cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person's deeds in the previous incarnation.

3. fate; destiny.

   Synonyms:

   kismet, lot, predetermination, predestination

4. the good or bad emanations felt to be generated by someone or something.

   Lets get out of here. This place has bad karma.

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karma British  

/ ˈkɑːmə /

noun

1. Hinduism Buddhism the principle of retributive justice determining a person's state of life and the state of his reincarnations as the effect of his past deeds

2. theosophy the doctrine of inevitable consequence

3. destiny or fate

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Other Word Forms

• karmic adjective

Etymology

Origin of karma

First recorded in 1820–30; from Sanskrit kárman- “act, deed”