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Etymology edit

Transliteration of Hindi जनेऊ (janeū), from Sanskrit यज्ञोपवीत (yajñopavīta).

Noun edit

janeu (plural janeus)

  1. (Hinduism) A sacred thread or cord received as a rite of passage by someone studying under a guru.
    • 2003, Bhawan Singh Rana, Indian Critiques of Gandhi, page 181:
      The words bring back the memory of Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru, who gave up his life to the Mughal authorities for the upkeep of Hindu religious symbols: the janeu and the tilak.
    • 2007, Klaus K. Klostermaier, A Survey of Hinduism, 3rd edition, page 150:
      The origin of the janëu has not been explained as yet; many believe it to be the remnant of a garment.
    • 2015, Tridip Suhrud, translating Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, Sarasvatichandra I, Orient BlackSwan 2015, p. 132:
      He had tied a diamond ring to his janeu thread and hidden it in the folds of his dhoti.

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