houri

American  

[hoor-ee, houuhr-ee, hou-uh-ree] / ˈhʊər i, ˈhaʊər i, ˈhaʊ ə ri /

noun

plural

houris

1. one of the beautiful virgins provided in paradise for all faithful Muslims.

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houri British  

/ ˈhʊərɪ /

noun

1. (in Muslim belief) any of the nymphs of Paradise

2. any alluring woman

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Etymology

Origin of houri

1730–40; < French < Persian hūrī < Arabic ḥūr plural of ḥaurāʾ gazelle-eyed (woman)

Explanation

A houri is an extremely beautiful young woman. In Islam, a houri exists in Paradise as a divine companion for those believers who have died. The houri is an important figure in Islam, appearing several times in the Quran. Though they are described as feminine, they appear as both male and female, acting as companions or guides for faithful Muslims. Houris are often depicted as beautiful young virgins, and this idea has been transferred to European cultures, in which a houri is simply a "voluptuous woman." The Persian root, huri, means "nymph in Paradise," from the Arabic haura, "beautifully dark-eyed."

Example Sentences

And for decades, Kate Moss has been imprinted on nearly everyone’s mental screen saver as a languorously gaunt, plump-lipped houri with an expression of cryptic jadedness that recalls one of those umber-eyed Parisian Pierrots.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2012

Last week Johore rejoiced in a new houri, the shift being directly due to Adolf Hitler's war against England.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tom pooh-poohs this project and is much more susceptible to a cocktail houri and budding lady poet named Cynthia Vail, who shows him a few of her lines.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Miriam is as beautiful as a houri, as fair as the light of a sun-lit day after a black night of tempest, and as sweet in disposition as Rachel, the favoured of our father Jacob."

From The Mark of the Beast by Watson, Sidney

Had she been as beautiful as a houri, though, I don't imagine I should have been less frightened!'

From Home Again by MacDonald, George