Rastafarian

[ ras-tuh-fair-ee-uhn, -fahr-, rah-stuh- ]

noun

1. a follower of Rastafarianism.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Rastafarianism or Rastafarians.

Rastafarian

/ ˌræstəˈfɛərɪən /

noun

1. a member of an originally Jamaican religion that regards Ras Tafari (the former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie) as God

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to the Rastafarians

Word History and Origins

Origin of Rastafarian¹

First recorded in 1935; from Amharic ras täfäri “Prince Tafari,” the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie ( ras “prince,” originally, “head”; täfäri an Amharic personal name, literally, “(one to be) feared, respected,” present participle from passive stem of the verb färra “fear, respect”) + -an