German Conversation · Level 5
89 words
German word
Lama
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈlaːma/
Meaning
- neuter nounllama
Example
Im Zoo habe ich zwei Lamas gesehen.
At the zoo, I saw two llamas.
More examples
Im Kloster wurde er als Lama ordiniert.
He was ordained as a lama at the monastery.
Core concept
The word opens two paths: a herd animal from the Andes and a teacher in Tibetan Buddhism.
Common phrases
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
als Lama ordiniert werden
be ordained as a lama
Similar words
Mönch: A religious member of a community devoted to prayer, discipline, and teaching.
Alpaka: A small South American camelid raised mainly for its soft wool.
Tier: A living creature belonging to the animal kingdom.
Definition in German
Ein Homonym, das je nach Kontext entweder das südamerikanische Kamelid oder einen tibetisch-buddhistischen Lehrer bezeichnet.
Word origin
Spanish borrowed the animal name from Quechua llama, whereas German borrowed the title Lama from Tibetan bla-ma, so the identical forms have separate origins.
Usage tips
- The surrounding noun phrase usually identifies the sense, such as a zoo context for the animal or a Buddhist context for the teacher.