Sufi
[soo-fee]
- a member of an ascetic, mystical Muslim sect.
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- of or relating to Sufis or Sufism.
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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. 2018
Examples from the Web for sufi
Contemporary Examples
Traditional Sufi imams might once have dissuaded these young men from seeking out the Syrian battlefield.
The other night, quite by chance, I came across some lines in Rumi, the 13th-century poet—a Sufi mystic from Persia.
In 2004 I was in Swat, I was researching on the causes of failure of the first revolution attempt by Sufi Muhammad.
The blasts at Sufi shrines are put down to Salafists focused on what they see as symbols of Muslim apostasy.
In Herat I paid my respects to the grave of Dost Mohammad Khan at the Sufi shrine of Gaza Gagh.
Historical Examples
The Sufi cries out that by love man and God are one, and know each other.
London Lectures of 1907Annie Besant
Nicolas' own Edition Suf and Sufi are both disparagingly named.
Rubaiyat of Omar KhayyamOmar Khayyam
We may close this short list with the name of the Sufi poet, Ferid-eddin-Attar.
Mystics and Saints of IslamClaud Field
Burton, indeed, hailed the adapter of Omar Khayyam as a "fellow Sufi."
The Life of Sir Richard BurtonThomas Wright
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
Sufi
- an adherent of any of various Muslim mystical orders or teachings, which emphasize the direct personal experience of God
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Word Origin
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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper