1-Stop Dictionary Reference

Dervish

Acceptable For Game Play - US & UK word lists

This word is acceptable for play in the US & UK dictionaries that are being used in the following games:

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. A member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, some of which perform whirling dances and vigorous chanting as acts of ecstatic devotion.

n. One that possesses abundant, often frenzied energy: "[She] is a dervish of unfocused energy, an accident about to happen” ( Jane Gross).

Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. A member of Dervish fraternity of Sufism, known for spinning.

the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

n. A Turkish or Persian monk, especially one who professes extreme poverty and leads an austere life.

n. One of the fanatical followers of the Mahdi, in the Sudan, in the 1880's.

n. in modern times, a member of an ascetic Mohammedan sect notable for its devotional exercises, which include energetic chanting or shouting and rhythmic bodily movement, such as whirling, leading to a trance-like state or ecstasy. From these exercises the phrase whirling dervish is derived.

n. figuratively, a person who whirls or engages in frenzied activity reminiscent of the dervish{3} dancing.

The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. A Mohammedan monk, professing poverty, humility, and chastity; a Mohammedan fakir.

WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

n. an ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movements

Word Usage

"Moses accordingly prayed and departed but returning a few days afterwards he saw that the dervish was a prisoner and surrounded by a crowd of people."

Equivalent

dervise dervis

Hypernym

Words that are more generic or abstract

faquir fakeer faqir fakir

Hyponym

whirler whirling dervish

Form

whirling dervish

Same Context

Words that are found in similar contexts

plowboy