transmigration

IPA/ˌtrænzmaɪˈɡreɪʃn/
IPA/ˌtrænzmaɪˈɡreɪʃn/

transmigration — noun

1. a religious teaching that a person's soul leaves the body at death and goes on t

1.nounC1
Definition

a religious teaching that a person's soul leaves the body at death and goes on to inhabit a new living being

Example

In many Hindu traditions, the soul's transmigration depends on the karma earned in each lifetime.

collocation: transmigration of the soul; context: cause-and-effect with karma

Tamar learned about transmigration from her grandmother, who grew up near Mumbai.

Common collocations
  • transmigration of the soul
  • belief in transmigration
  • the idea of transmigration
  • the doctrine of transmigration
  • teach transmigration
Synonyms
  • reincarnation

    more widely used in everyday English; often implies rebirth in a human body, whereas transmigration can include any form of life

  • rebirth

    a broader, less technical term that can refer to any new beginning, not exclusively after death

  • metempsychosis

    a formal, scholarly term from Greek philosophy referring to the same concept; very rare in everyday use

Usage Note

Typically used in religious or philosophical contexts. Distinguish from 'reincarnation', which often implies rebirth specifically in a human body — transmigration can involve any form of life, including animals or other states of being.

Common Mistakes

Many people believe in the transmigration of refugees across borders.
Many people believe in the transmigration of the soul after death.
'Transmigration' refers to the soul's movement into a new body, not physical travel between countries.
The company announced the transmigration of its data to a new server.
The company announced the migration of its data to a new server.
Use 'migration' for physical or digital movement between places; 'transmigration' only applies to the spiritual context.

Word family

  • transmigrate
    verbC2
  • transmigratory
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe the soul's continuation after death, but they differ in scope and register. 'Reincarnation' is the most common English term and typically implies rebirth within the human realm — a person is born again as another person. 'Transmigration' is broader: the soul may enter an animal, plant, or any other life form. 'Rebirth' is the most general and least technical of the three; it can apply to spiritual renewal in this life as well as after death. 'Metempsychosis' is a formal, scholarly term from Greek philosophy that covers the same concept as transmigration but is rarely used outside academic writing. For example: a Buddhist might speak of 'transmigration' when explaining how karma can lead a soul to be reborn as an animal, while using 'reincarnation' for the general cycle of human-to-human rebirth.

reincarnationrebirth ↗metempsychosis ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • transmigration of the soul
  • belief in transmigration
  • doctrine of transmigration

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'transmigrare' — 'trans-' meaning 'across' and 'migrare' meaning 'to move from one place to another'. In Late Latin Christian and philosophical writings, 'transmigratio' took on the specific meaning of the soul passing into a new body after death. The word entered English through French in the 14th century, first used in general senses of moving from place to place, and later narrowed to its spiritual meaning.