noun
female Buddhist novice
A woman who has taken initial Buddhist vows but is not yet a fully ordained nun. This is a technical term used in Buddhist contexts.
彼女は沙弥尼として修行を始めた。
She began her training as a female Buddhist novice.
比丘尼 is a fully ordained Buddhist nun, a higher rank than 沙弥尼.
Borrowed from Chinese 沙彌尼, itself a transliteration of Sanskrit śrāmaṇerikā, meaning a female novice in Buddhism.