ronin
/ɹˈoʊnɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.77 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A masterless samurai (who often becomes a mercenary to make ends meet).
noun
A student who has failed the entrance examination for the high school or university of their choice: if the student does not wish to take the exam the following year or is unable to, the student becomes a ronin, assuming full responsibility for their own training and survival.
Colloquial
name
A male given name originating as a coinage.
Example Sentences
- "Back at Asano’s home in Ako, his chancellor, Oishi (Tatsuo Ichikawa), rallies the samurai, now known as ronin because they are without a master, in a campaign to avenge Asano and restore his clan’s honor."
- "He shook Chaz's hand. “Please call me Ronin.” Ronin. The sexy, mysterious name fit him perfectly."
Etymology
From Japanese 浪人 (rōnin), in turn from Middle Chinese 浪人 (MC langH nyin, “dissolute, wasteful, unrestrained + person”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: 浪人, -