'Dervish' definitions:
Definition of 'dervish'
From: WordNet
noun
An ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movements
Definition of 'Dervish'
From: GCIDE
- Dervish \Der"vish\, Dervise \Der"vise\, Dervis \Der"vis\, n. [Per. derw[=e]sch, fr. OPer. derew to beg, ask alms: cf. F. derviche.]
- 1. A Turkish or Persian monk, especially one who professes extreme poverty and leads an austere life. [1913 Webster]
- 2. One of the fanatical followers of the Mahdi, in the Sudan, in the 1880's. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
- 3. 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. [PJC]
- 4. figuratively, a person who whirls or engages in frenzied activity reminiscent of the dervish[3] dancing. [PJC]
Synonyms of 'dervish'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abdal,
- abstainer,
- Albigensian,
- anchorite,
- ascetic,
- bhikshu,
- Black Muslim,
- Catharist,
- fakir,
- flagellant,
- Franciscan,
- hajji,
- hermit,
- imam,
- mendicant,
- Mohammedan,
- Moslem,
- Motazilite,
- muezzin,
- mufti,
- Muhammadan,
- mullah,
- murshid,
- Muslim,
- Mussulman,
- puritan,
- qadi,
- Sabbatarian,
- sannyasi,
- santon,
- Sectary,
- sheikh,
- Shia,
- Shiite,
- Sufi,
- Sunnite,
- Trappist,
- Wahabi,
- Waldensian,
- yogi,
- yogin