Rastafarian
[ras-tuh-fair-ee-uh n, -fahr-, rah-stuh-]
- a follower of Rastafarianism.
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- of, relating to, or characteristic of Rastafarianism or Rastafarians.
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Origin of Rastafarian
< Amharic ras täfäri Prince Tafari, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie (ras prince, orig., head; täfäri an Amharic personal name, literally, (one to be) feared, respected, present participle from passive stem färra (v.) fear, respect) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Rastafarian
- a member of an originally Jamaican religion that regards Ras Tafari (the former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie) as God
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- of, characteristic of, or relating to the Rastafarians
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for rastafarian
Rastafarian
n.
1955 (Rastafarite is found from 1953), from Rastafari, Jamaican religion built around writings of Marcus Garvey and belief that Haile Selassie (1892-1975), former emperor of Ethiopia, was God. From Ras Tafari, Selassie's title from 1916 to his accession in 1936, from Amharic ras "chief, head" (from Arabic ra's) + tafari "to be feared." As an adjective from 1960.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper