Yezidis

/ ˈjɛzɪdɪz /

plural noun

1. a religious sect found in the Kurdish areas of Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, whose beliefs combine elements of Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, and other religions; in addition to believing in a Supreme God, the Yezidi worship seven angels, among whom is the devil, who is believed to have repented and been pardoned and reinstated as chief angel

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yezidis¹

C19: perhaps from Yazid or Ezid a name for God

Example Sentences

The most important day of the week for Yezidis from a religious perspective is a Wednesday.

From The Daily Beast

It turned out almost the entire staff of the hotel was made of Yezidis.

From The Daily Beast

During the visit, it was hard to get a sense of why the Yezidis are persecuted.

From The Daily Beast

The Yezidis consider themselves ethnically Kurdish, the majority in areas surrounding Mosul, within Arab Iraq.

From The Daily Beast

Yezidis play a sort of basketball game here, balling cloth up and tossing it onto the top of the mound.

From The Daily Beast

The Yezidis possess no systematized religion woven by some great teacher into one harmonious whole.

From Project Gutenberg

The Yezidis form one of the recognized millets, or subject religious sects, existing in the Turkish Empire.

From Project Gutenberg

And will he not then be mindful of the poor Yezidis, who alone of all mankind never cursed him in his disgrace?

From Project Gutenberg

Mascot means simply a temple, and is used by the Yezidis for mosques and churches as well as for their own shrine.

From Project Gutenberg

It was proposed to raise some companies of Yezidis for the levy also, and they would serve British officers most loyally.

From Project Gutenberg