noun
Dervish
DUR-vihsh
noun
1
A member of a Sufi Muslim order known for ascetic living and, in some traditions, ritual spinning dances.
"Tourists gathered to watch the whirling dervishes perform in Istanbul."
How to Use Dervish
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA Sufi mystic devoted to simple living and spiritual practice, sometimes associated with the famous spinning dance.
Common pairings
whirling dervish
Word Forms
Dervishes plural, dervishes plural
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Tourists gathered to watch the whirling _____ perform in Istanbul.
Etymology
From Turkish dervis, from Persian darvish, "poor, mendicant."