Dictionary
ko•an
Pronunciation: (kō'än), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -ans, -an.
Zen.
a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating. Cf.
mondo.Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.