Dictionary

dervish en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈdɜːvɪʃ/ (UK)

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish درویش (derviş), from Persian درویش (darvêš, “poor; Sufi mystic”), from Middle Persian dlgwš (driyōš, “poor, needy”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *drigu-, cognate with Sanskrit ध्रिगु (dhrigu, “needy”) and Avestan 𐬛𐬭𐬌𐬔𐬎 (driguš).

Meanings

1. (historical) An itinerant Sufi mystic practicing voluntary poverty in devotion to God, and often engaging in ecstatic rituals. ▸ A citizen or inhabitant of Darawiish (circa 1895–1920 C.E.), an anti-colonial polity in modern Somalia headed by Sufis.
2. (historical) An itinerant Sufi mystic practicing voluntary poverty in devotion to God, and often engaging in ecstatic rituals. ▸ One of the followers of Muhammad Ahmad, the Mahdi of the Sudan, in the 1880s.
3. (broadly) An itinerant Sufi mystic practicing voluntary poverty in devotion to God, and often engaging in ecstatic rituals. ▸ Any irregular guerrilla fighter resembling the Sudanese Mahdi in equipment, uniform, tactics, etc.
   • The Hejaz war, meanwhile, would be one of dervishes against regular troops. 1926, T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York: Anchor, published 1991, page 104:

Forms

Deriveds

dervishlike · dervishhood · dervishism · Whirling Dervish

Synonyms

fakir · fakir · fakir

Translations (58)

ur درویش (Sufi ascetic) · nl derwisj (Sufi ascetic) · gv jervish (Sufi ascetic) · pl derwisz (Sufi ascetic) · cs derviš (Sufi ascetic) · el δερβίσης (Sufi ascetic) · ru де́рвиш (Sufi ascetic) · bn দরবেশ (Sufi ascetic) · ja ダルヴィーシュ (Sufi ascetic) · ota دده (Sufi ascetic) · sk derviš (Sufi ascetic) · es derviche (Sufi ascetic) · ca dervix (Sufi ascetic) · ky дарвиш (Sufi ascetic) · sl derviš (Sufi ascetic) · az dərviş (Sufi ascetic) · ro derviș (Sufi ascetic) · he דרוויש (Sufi ascetic) · ar دَرْوِيش (Sufi ascetic) · et derviš (Sufi ascetic) · ka დერვიში (Sufi ascetic) · da dervish (Sufi ascetic) · ps دروېش (Sufi ascetic) · ota درویش (Sufi ascetic) · pt dervixe (Sufi ascetic) · kmr dewrêş (Sufi ascetic) · sh дервиш (Sufi ascetic) · kmr derwêş (Sufi ascetic) · uz darvesh (Sufi ascetic) · bg де́рвиш (Sufi ascetic) · arz درويش (Sufi ascetic) · id darwis (Sufi ascetic) · mk дервиш (Sufi ascetic) · hu dervis (Sufi ascetic) · de Derwischin (Sufi ascetic) · fr derviche (Sufi ascetic) · sv dervisch (Sufi ascetic) · hy դերվիշ (Sufi ascetic) · cmn 德爾維希 /德尔维希 (Sufi ascetic) · de Derwisch (Sufi ascetic) · tg дарвеш (Sufi ascetic) · uk де́рвіш (Sufi ascetic) · hi दरवेश (Sufi ascetic) · ckb دەروێش (Sufi ascetic) · tr derviş (Sufi ascetic) · kk деревиш (Sufi ascetic) · vo hidärvid (Sufi ascetic) · vo därvid (Sufi ascetic) · ky дербиш (Sufi ascetic) · vo jidärvid (Sufi ascetic) · sh derviš (Sufi ascetic) · it derviscio (Sufi ascetic) · eo derviŝo (Sufi ascetic) · cmn 托钵僧 (Sufi ascetic) · el ντερβίσης (Sufi ascetic) · fi dervissi (Sufi ascetic) · fa درویش (Sufi ascetic) · be дэ́рвіш (Sufi ascetic)