-üˌizəm noun
( -s )
1. usually capitalized : a complex body of social, cultural, and religious beliefs and practices evolved in and largely confined to the Indian subcontinent and marked by a caste system, an outlook tending to view all forms and theories as aspects of one eternal being and truth, a belief in ahimsa, karma, dharma, samsara, the moksha, and the practice of the way of works, the way of knowledge, or the way of devotion as the means of release from the round of rebirths : the way of life and form of thought of a Hindu — compare avatar , bhakti , brahmanism , jnana-marga , karma-marga
2. usually capitalized : a religious philosophy based on Hinduism
3. capitalized : the dominant cultic religion of India marked by participation in one of the bhakti sects (as Vaishnavism, Sivaism, Shaktism)