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Glite Dictionary
Sunnite

Sunnite

1 8.9
A Muslim who accepts the first four leaders after the prophet Muhammad as the rightful successors
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌnaɪt/
translation icon : sunita
  • The Sunnite community celebrates festivals that reflect their unique traditions and beliefs.

Examples

  • They fought in Ramadi against Sunnite, members of the Iraqi army who who do not want to fight.

  • Many Sunnite Muslims gather for prayer every Friday at the mosque.

  • The conference discussed the historical and cultural impact of Sunnite Islam in the Middle East.

Synonyms

Sunni
vsSunnite
45 5.3

A Muslim who follows the largest branch of Islam and accepts the first four leaders after Muhammad

is the traditional less common spelling for that same group
Sunni Muslim
vsSunnite
6 3.2

A person in Islam who follows the largest group and accepts the first four leaders after Muhammad

is the single word traditional variant used more compactly

Surface Forms

Sunnite singular
Sunnites plural

Morphology

Sunnite = Sunni (transparent) = Sunni + ite

The form is 'Sunni' + the suffix '-ite' meaning follower/member; the sense 'member of the Sunni branch' is directly predictable.

Etymology

Sunnite comes from the Arabic word sunnah, which means 'way' or 'tradition'. So a Sunnite is a Muslim who follows those traditions and belongs to the Sunni group.