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dervish

[dur-vish]
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noun
  1. a member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, as the Sufis, some of which carry on ecstatic observances, such as energetic dancing and whirling or vociferous chanting or shouting.
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Origin of dervish

1575–85; < Turkish < Persian darvīsh poor man, beggar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dervish

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • So he done it, and they separated and the dervish started off again with his forty.

    Tom Sawyer Abroad

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

  • And this time the thing he wanted was to get the dervish to rub some of the salve on his other eye.

    Tom Sawyer Abroad

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

  • And here, the hospitality of the Dervish does not belie his Arab blood.

    The Book of Khalid

    Ameen Rihani

  • Which is a mortal task for the Dervish in the presence of the Enchantress.

    The Book of Khalid

    Ameen Rihani

  • There, the Dervish is thrown into the cauldron along with the magic herbs.

    The Book of Khalid

    Ameen Rihani

British Dictionary definitions for dervish

dervish

noun
  1. a member of any of various Muslim orders of ascetics, some of which (whirling dervishes) are noted for a frenzied, ecstatic, whirling dance
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Derived Formsdervish-like, adjective

Word Origin

C16: from Turkish: beggar, from Persian darvīsh mendicant monk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dervish

n.

1580s, from Turkish dervish, from Persian darvesh, darvish "beggar, poor," hence "religious mendicant;" equivalent of Arabic faqir (cf. fakir). The "whirling dervishes" are just one order among many. Originally dervis; modern spelling is from mid-19c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper