onsen

noun

on·​sen ˈȯn-ˌsen 

ˈän-

plural onsens or onsen

1

a

: a Japanese hot spring

When Japan began to modernize in the late 1800s, trains made it relatively easy for city dwellers to travel to the countryside, and traditional-style inns … sprang up around the onsen …

—Andrew Curry

b

: a traditionally Japanese resort or hotel with hot springs

2

: a Japanese bath in which bathers soak in a hot spring or hot-spring fed bath after first cleansing with a shower

The Japanese tradition of onsen (public baths) is high on the list of après-ski activities in Niseko [Japan].

—Jenny Hewett

also : a bathhouse or room used for such a bath

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, from on "warm" + sen "spring, fountain"

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1