Shi'ite Muslim
- noun
- /ʃiˈaɪt ˈmʌzlɪm/
:
musulmán chiíta
- A Shi'ite Muslim believes in the leadership of Ali.
Examples
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She studied the beliefs of Shi'ite Muslim scholars for her thesis.
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As a Shi'ite Muslim, he observes religious practices that differ from those of his Sunni neighbors.
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The city has a large Shi'ite Muslim population who celebrate unique holidays.
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Many Shi'ite Muslims celebrate Ashura with great devotion.
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Most of al-Foua and Kefraya's residents are Shi'ite Muslims.
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An estimated one million Shi'ite Muslims marked the climax of an emotional pilgrimage today.
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In Iraq, long-suppressed Shi'ite Muslims make up a significant portion of the population.
Synonyms
40
7.9
A Muslim who follows the group that accepts Ali as Muhammad's successor
5
4.9
A Muslim who believes Ali was the rightful leader after Muhammad
2
7.2
A person who follows the branch of Islam that sees Ali as Muhammad's next leader
1
4.1
A follower of Islam who believes Ali should have been leader after Muhammad and rejects the first three leaders
A Muslim who follows the group that believes Ali and his family should lead after Muhammad
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'Shi'ite' specifies the sect and 'Muslim' specifies the religious identity, so together they denote a Muslim who is Shi'ite. This structure is semantically transparent and mirrors how sectarian labels are formed in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Shi'ite Muslim comes from the Arabic word 'Shīʿah', which means 'party' or 'followers' and named the people who supported Ali as leader after Muhammad. So a Shi'ite Muslim today is someone who belongs to that group and follows its traditions.