dervish

noun

der·​vish ˈdər-vish How to pronounce dervish (audio)
1
: a member of a Muslim religious order noted for devotional exercises (such as bodily movements leading to a trance)
2
: one that whirls or dances with or as if with the abandonment of a dervish

Examples of dervish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There was Luis Diaz, twisting like a dervish, carrying the attack to the Uruguay defense as if his very life depended on it. Jack Lang, The Athletic, 10 July 2024 Shannon is a dervish of despair and a black hole of need, but Archie still loves her. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2024 Local press were quick to report Egypt’s General Authority for Censorship for Works of Art had revoked the film’s license, with an influential film critic noting a scene featuring a dervish as the probable cause. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2024 The word comes from the psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, who argued in a 1957 letter to Aldous Huxley that similar effects could arise from drug use, epilepsy, schizophrenia, starvation, vitamin deficiency, yoga practices, and dervish dancing. Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dervish 

Word History

Etymology

Turkish derviş, literally, beggar, from Persian darvīsh

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dervish was circa 1550

Dictionary Entries Near dervish

Cite this Entry

“Dervish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dervish. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

dervish

noun
der·​vish ˈdər-vish How to pronounce dervish (audio)
: a member of a Muslim religious group noted for its customs (as bodily movements leading to a trance)

More from Merriam-Webster on dervish

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