Whirling vs. Dervish

Whirlingverb

present participle of whirl

Whirlingnoun

The action of the verb to whirl.

Whirlingadjective

That whirls or whirl.

Whirlingadjective

a. & n. from Whirl, v. t.

Whirlingnoun

the act of rotating in a circle or spiral

Whirlingadjective

moving or driven rapidly in a rotary or twisting motion;

Whirlingadjective

rotating rapidly about an axis;

Whirlingadjective

characterized by rapid movement round and round

Dervishnoun

A member of the Dervish fraternity of Sufism, known for spinning.

Dervishnoun

(historical) One of the fanatical followers of the Mahdi, in the Sudan, in the 1880s.

Dervishnoun

A Turkish or Persian monk, especially one who professes extreme poverty and leads an austere life.

Dervishnoun

One of the fanatical followers of the Mahdi, in the Sudan, in the 1880's.

Dervishnoun

in modern times, a member of an ascetic Mohammedan sect notable for its devotional exercises, which include energetic chanting or shouting and rhythmic bodily movement, such as whirling, leading to a trance-like state or ecstasy. From these exercises the phrase whirling dervish is derived.

Dervishnoun

figuratively, a person who whirls or engages in frenzied activity reminiscent of the dervish{3} dancing.

Dervishnoun

an ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movements

Dervishnoun

a member of a Muslim (specifically Sufi) religious order who has taken vows of poverty and austerity. Dervishes first appeared in the 12th century; they were noted for their wild or ecstatic rituals and were known as dancing, whirling, or howling dervishes according to the practice of their order.

Dervish

Dervish or Darvesh or Darwīsh (from Persian: درویش‎, Darvīsh) in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (tariqah), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persian and Turkish (Derviş), corresponding to the Arabic term faqir.