I. ˈkärmə, ˈkər- noun
( -s )
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: Sanskrit karman (nominative karma ) karma, work, office, from karoti he does, makes; akin to Old Irish cruth form, Lithuanian kurti to build, Sanskrit kāra doing, kṛṇoti he does, makes
1. : the force generated by a person's actions that is held in Hinduism and Buddhism to be the motive power for the round of rebirths and deaths endured by him until he has achieved spiritual liberation and freed himself from the effects of such force
release from the karma of recurrent existences — John Baillie
— compare nirvana , samsara
2. : the sum total of the ethical consequences of a person's good or bad actions comprising thoughts, words, and deeds that is held in Hinduism and Buddhism to determine his specific destiny in his next existence
as our desires shape themselves, so we act and build up our coming fate, our karma — P.E.More
3. : a subtle form of matter held in Jainism to develop in the soul and vitiate its purity, to lengthen the course of individual transmigration, and to postpone the possibility of final salvation
the soul's chief problem … of managing to throw off or expel karma matter from itself — J.B.Noss
• kar·mic -mik adjective , often capitalized
II. noun
: vibration 4