Dervish
//ˈdɜː(ɹ)vɪʃ// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of a Sufi Muslim ascetic fraternity of mendicant friars.
- 2 An itinerant Sufi mystic practicing voluntary poverty in devotion to God, and often engaging in ecstatic rituals.; A citizen or inhabitant of Darawiish (circa 1895–1920 C.E.), an anti-colonial polity in modern Somalia headed by Sufis. historical
- 3 an ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movements wordnet
- 4 A citizen or inhabitant of Darawiish (circa 1895–1920 C.E.), the Dhulbahante anti-colonial polity geographically corresponding with Khaatumo. historical
- 5 An itinerant Sufi mystic practicing voluntary poverty in devotion to God, and often engaging in ecstatic rituals.; One of the followers of Muhammad Ahmad, the Mahdi of the Sudan, in the 1880s. historical
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- 6 An itinerant Sufi mystic practicing voluntary poverty in devotion to God, and often engaging in ecstatic rituals.; Any irregular guerrilla fighter resembling the Sudanese Mahdi in equipment, uniform, tactics, etc. broadly
"The Hejaz war, meanwhile, would be one of dervishes against regular troops."
Example
More examples"The Hejaz war, meanwhile, would be one of dervishes against regular troops."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Turkish derviş, from Persian درویش (darviš).
Etymology 2
From Ottoman Turkish درویش (derviş), from Persian درویش (darvêš, “poor; Sufi mystic”), from Middle Persian dlgwš (driyōš, “poor, needy”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *drigu-, cognate with Sanskrit ध्रिगु (dhrigu, “needy”) and Avestan 𐬛𐬭𐬌𐬔𐬎 (driguš).
Related phrases
More for "dervish"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.