Wahhabi

[ wuh-hah-bee, wah- ]

/ wəˈhɑ bi, wɑ- /

noun, plural Wah·ha·bis. Islam.

a follower of ʿAbd al-Wahhab (1703–1792), who stringently opposed all practices not sanctioned by the Koran. The Wahhabis, founded in the 18th century, are the most conservative Muslim group and are today found mainly in Saudi Arabia.

Also Wa·ha·bi, Wah·ha·bee, Wah·ha·bite, Wa·ha·bite

[wuh-hah-bahyt, wah-] /wəˈhɑ baɪt, wɑ-/.

Origin of Wahhabi

1800–10; < Arabic, equivalent to ʿAbd al-Wahhab + -ī suffix of appurtenance

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

Examples from the Web for wahabi

So I'm not scared of Cordoba House, with or without its Wahabi backers.
Why I Love the Mosque|Elizabeth Wurtzel|August 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Why should he answer to a Mahratta laonee if he be Wahabi—or Sikh?'
Soldiers Three|Rudyard Kipling
Coffee-shops take the place of spirit and wine shops, which in the strict Wahabi country would not be, for a moment, tolerated.
Southern Arabia|Theodore Bent
Soon the Wahabi leaven began to produce profound disturbances in the most distant quarters.
The New World of Islam|Lothrop Stoddard

The Wahabi leaven has destroyed abuses and has rekindled a purer religious faith.
The New World of Islam|Lothrop Stoddard
More heads came under his thumb, and he took more men with impunity by the beard, than even the chief of the Wahabi himself.'
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan|James Morier

British Dictionary definitions for wahabi

Wahhabi

Wahabi

/ (wəˈhɑːbɪ) /

noun plural -bis

a member of a strictly conservative Muslim sect founded in the 18th century with the aim of eliminating all innovations later than the 3rd century of Islam

Derived FormsWahhabism or Wahabism, noun

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 wahabi

Wahabi

1807, follower of Islamic fundamentalist Abd-el-Wahhab (1691-1787), from his name, with Arabic genitive suffix -i.