der·vish (dûr v sh)n. 1. A member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, some of which perform whirling dances and vigorous chanting as acts of ecstatic devotion. 2. One that possesses abundant, often frenzied energy: "[She] is a dervish of unfocused energy, an accident about to happen" (Jane Gross). [Turkish dervi  , mendicant, from Persian darv sh.]Word History: The word dervish calls to mind the phrases howling dervish and whirling dervish. Certainly there are dervishes whose religious exercises include making loud howling noises or whirling rapidly to induce a dizzy, mystical state. But a dervish is really the Muslim equivalent of a monk or friar, for the Persian word darv sh, the ultimate source of dervish, means "religious mendicant." The word is first recorded in English in 1585. |
dervish [ˈdɜːvɪʃ]
n
(Non-Christian Religions / Islam) a member of any of various Muslim orders of ascetics, some of which (whirling dervishes) are noted for a frenzied, ecstatic, whirling dance
[from Turkish: beggar, from Persian darvīsh mendicant monk]
dervish-like adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  dervish - an ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movementswhirler, whirling dervish - a dervish whose actions include ecstatic dancing and whirling |
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