(ˈ)kau̇|dīˌizəm noun
( -s )
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: Vietnamese Cao Dai, literally, great palace + English -ism
: an Indo-Chinese religion originating in Cochin China in 1926, consisting of an amalgamation of elements from Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, and spiritualism, and having its clergy headed by a pope who as the direct representative of its supreme deity exercises both spiritual and temporal power