dervish

[dur-vish]

noun

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.

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 of dervish

His earthliness places him not among those larger-than-life kind of heroes, but among the humble, quiet ones—a dervish hero.
A Friend’s Tribute to Ambassador Chris Stevens: The Diplomatic Indiana Jones
Roya Hakakian
September 13, 2012

Historical Examples of dervish

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

a member of any of various Muslim orders of ascetics, some of which (whirling dervishes) are noted for a frenzied, ecstatic, whirling dance

Derived Formsdervish-like, adjective

Word Origin for dervish

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

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.