noun
Archaic familiar or derogatory term for a Buddhist monk, used in direct address or contemptuous reference. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical contexts.
古い物語では、町人が「我僧」と呼んで僧をからかう場面がある。
In old tales, there are scenes where townsfolk mock a monk by calling him 'wasō'.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 我 (self/ego) and 僧 (monk) suggest a derogatory twist on the word for monk, possibly from a historical colloquialism.