dervish

[ dur-vish ]

/ ˈdɜr vɪʃ /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of dervish

1575–85; < Turkish < Persian darvīsh poor man, beggar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
It was resolved to attack the Dervish position at Kerma at dawn.
The River War|Winston S. Churchill
Within two minutes of the collision every living man was clear of the Dervish mass.
The River War|Winston S. Churchill
Ferishtah is in training for a dervish, and is anxious to feed hungry souls.
The Browning Cyclopdia|Edward Berdoe

The really diligent student in one of the crowded hives of Cambridge College is as solitary as a dervish in the desert.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. X (of X) - America - II, Index|Various
The Dervish riflemen crouched in the shelter trench that ran round the village.
The River War|Winston S. Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for dervish

dervish

/ (ˈdɜːvɪʃ) /

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

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.