Reincarnation
Etymology
From Latin “re-” (again) plus “incarnare” (to make flesh), from “in-” (into) plus “caro / carn-” (flesh) — literally “again into flesh.” The same “flesh” root gives “carnal” and “incarnate.” The word supplies a Western label for beliefs found across many traditions that the self returns in successive bodies.
noun · /ree-in-kar-NAY-shun/
The rebirth of a soul into a new body after death.
What it names
The belief that identity persists across bodies and lifetimes — a handle for cyclical rather than one-shot views of a life.
Example
Only half-serious, she said her cat’s imperious calm suggested reincarnation of some deposed emperor.
Related idea
Resurrection raises the same body back to life once, at the end of time; reincarnation is repeated rebirth into new bodies within an ongoing cycle.