Kafir

[ kaf-er, key-fer, kah- ]

/ ˈkæf ər, ˈkeɪ fər, ˈkɑ- /

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noun, plural Kaf·irs, (especially collectively) Kaf·ir.

Also called Nuristani. a member of an Indo-European people of Nuristan.

(lowercase)Islam. an infidel or unbeliever.

(lowercase)Also kaffir. Also called kafir corn . a grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor caffrorum, having stout, short-jointed, leafy stalks, introduced into the U.S. from southern Africa.

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Origin of Kafir

From Arabic, dating back to 1795–1805; see origin at Kaffir

Words nearby Kafir

Kaffir lily, kaffir lime, kaffiyeh, Kaffraria, Kaffrarian, Kafir, Kafiri, Kafiristan, Kafka, Kafkaesque, Kafka, Franz

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Kafir in a sentence

He no doubt could have been roused to fury if a real kafir contributed to his younger brother preferring a-h-h-h-h to Allah.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s Best Friend, Brendan Mess, an Unsolved Killing|Michael Daly|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Langalibalele is not a true Kafir at all: he is a Fingor, a half-caste tribe contemptuously christened by the Kafirs "dogs."
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various
Probably a corruption of the popular term “Kafir,” ama being the plural sign.
The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley|Bertram Mitford
Still Tryon answered not, but the Kafir's words struck a wild chord in his heart.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. IX.--February, 1851.--Vol. II.|Various

He has a good deal to say about the Kafir wine in that inimitable Diary of his, and his appreciation of 134 it was not great.
The Gates of India|Thomas Holdich
The few inhabitants who are hidden away in remote villages and hamlets belong to the great Kafir community.
The Gates of India|Thomas Holdich

British Dictionary definitions for Kafir

Kafir

/ (ˈkæfə) /

noun plural -irs or -ir

another name for the Nuri

a variant spelling of Kaffir

Word Origin for Kafir

C19: from Arabic; see Kaffir

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