zen

zen, calm

adjective ZEN Rare

Origin: Japanese/Sanskrit 'dhyana', meditation

Usage Note

Zen is an indeclinable borrowed adjective in French — it does not change for gender or number: elle est zen, ils sont zen. Used colloquially to describe a relaxed, unflappable person or atmosphere. The noun le zen also refers to the Buddhist philosophy.

Examples

"Elle reste zen dans les embouteillages."

Natural Translation

She stays calm in traffic jams.

Literal Translation

She stays zen in the traffic jams.

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