Sufi

[ soo-fee ]

/ ˈsu fi /

noun, plural Su·fis.

a member of an ascetic, mystical Muslim sect.

adjective

of or relating to Sufis or Sufism.

Origin of Sufi

< Arabic Ṣūfī, perhaps equivalent to ṣūf wool + -ī suffix of appurtenance; so called from their garb

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

Examples from the Web for sufi

Traditional Sufi imams might once have dissuaded these young men from seeking out the Syrian battlefield.
ISIS Is Putin’s Problem, Too, and This Chechen Is One Reason Why.|Anna Nemtsova|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The other night, quite by chance, I came across some lines in Rumi, the 13th-century poet—a Sufi mystic from Persia.
Only Iraq Can Save Itself From Chaos|Jay Parini|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2004 I was in Swat, I was researching on the causes of failure of the first revolution attempt by Sufi Muhammad.
The Taliban’s Letter to Malala Yousafzai|The Daily Beast|July 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The blasts at Sufi shrines are put down to Salafists focused on what they see as symbols of Muslim apostasy.
Tripoli on Edge as Fears of Additional Bombings in Libya Escalate|Jamie Dettmer|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In Herat I paid my respects to the grave of Dost Mohammad Khan at the Sufi shrine of Gaza Gagh.
‘A War for No Wise Purpose’: Afghanistan Defeats the West Again|William Dalrymple|April 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Is there anything in the New Testament as beautiful as this, from a Sufi?
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 2 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
Nicolas' own Edition Suf and Sufi are both disparagingly named.
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam|Omar Khayyam
In all Muhammadan lands he is celebrated both as an apologist of orthodoxy and a warm advocate of Sufi mysticism.
Mystics and Saints of Islam|Claud Field
He is also from time to time soaring into the realms of the Truth or Unity, in a way not found in any other Sufi poet or doctor.
The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam|Omar Khayyam
He could escape the torment of these voices only by listening closely to the Sufi sheikh.
The Saracen: Land of the Infidel|Robert Shea

British Dictionary definitions for sufi

Sufi

/ (ˈsuːfɪ) /

noun plural -fis

an adherent of any of various Muslim mystical orders or teachings, which emphasize the direct personal experience of God

Derived FormsSufic, adjective

Word Origin for Sufi

C17: from Arabic sūfīy, literally: (man) of wool, from sūf wool; probably from the ascetic's woollen garments

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 sufi

Sufi

member of a Muslim mystical order, 1650s (earlier Sufian, 1580s), from Arabic sufi, literally "man of wool" (i.e., "man wearing woolen garments"), from suf "wool." So-called from the habit of "putting on the holy garment" (labs-as-suf) to devote oneself to mysticism.