dervish:

(plural: ‘dervishes‘)

The word ‘dervish’ is, according to some authorities, from Persian language which means a ‘beggar’, ‘friar’ or ‘monk’, and according to some other authorities, it means the ‘doorway’, the thresh hold to heaven where every human soul that leaves the physical body should reach.

a dervish — a Muslim monk

a Muslim religious person who belongs to a religious order called Sufi, noted for their energetic dances (whirling dance), shouting loudly;

a Muslim monk;

a person who has a lot of energy, especially emotional energy, and dances crazily unmindful of others’ feelings ( no religious attachment in this context),

(two dervishes dancing wildly — no religious attachment)

e.g.

When you meet a dervish and discuss their philosophy, you’ll realise that there is something very important that we, the non-dervishes, must understand.

Wherever there is Islam, there are Sufi Muslims and wherever there are Sufi Muslims, there are dervishes.

The purpose of a dervish whirling so energetically is, according to the traditional belief, to go into a trance where one sees nothing but the God.

The dervishes are becoming more and more popular because of their whirling dance and howling sounds, and these dances are shown in the entertainment programmes and movies/films world over.

dervishes in whirling dance

For an informative article on what a dervish is, please click here, for an article that explains why dervishes spin or whirl so energetically, please click here, for an interesting article on what a sufi and a dervish are, please click here, and for an item of news that shows us how we come across this word in our readings, please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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