previous existence; past life
Refers to a previous life or existence, often in a Buddhist or spiritual context. Not an everyday word; more common in literary or religious writing.
He claims to have memories of a past life.
Compound of 先 (saki, 'previous, before') + の (possessive particle) + 世 (yo, 'world, age, life'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase follows a common pattern for expressing 'the world before'.