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Zaydi

American  
[zahy-dee] / ˈzaɪ di /
Or Zaidi

noun

Islam.
  1. a member of a Shiʿite sect prominent in Yemen.


Etymology

Origin of Zaydi

First recorded in 1700–10; from Arabic Zayd an imam of the 8th century + a suffix indicating relationship or origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Helpers of God party militia, or the Houthis, arose among the Zaydi Shiites of northern Yemen in the 1990s as a backlash against the inroads that neighboring, wealthy Wahhabi Saudi Arabia had made.

From Salon • Jul. 14, 2024

The assaults on shipping have raised the profile of the Houthis, who are members of Islam’s minority Shiite Zaydi sect, which ruled Yemen for 1,000 years until 1962.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2024

The movement — which calls itself Ansar Allah, or partisans of God, with beliefs rooted in the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam — had long been locked in dispute with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

From Washington Post • Apr. 19, 2023

The Houthi movement grew among members of the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam, who chafed as their heartland in the far north became impoverished.

From Reuters • Jan. 25, 2022

In Ibn Jubayr’s time the Zaydi sect was allowed an Imam, though known to be schismatics and abusers of the caliphs.

From Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah — Volume 2 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir