whirling dervish
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈwɜr.lɪŋ ˈdɜr.vɪʃ/
:
derviche danzante
- The whirling dervish gracefully spun in circles, embodying the meditative dance of the Mevlevi Sufi order.
Examples
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This is the basis of the music of whirling dervishes, as well as a broad range of Latin American rhythms such as horopo.
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Suddenly, he transformed into a whirling dervish and flew to the board, grabbed the chalk from my hand, and proceeded to "correct" everything I had done.
Fiction book (2001) -
Many bad things fly around the bar like mad, whirling dervishes.
Fiction book (1996) -
Some of the Sufi whirling dervishes in Turkey have even danced to his songs.
Blog text (6) -
Rebecca smiled at the small, sixty-year-old whirling dervish of a woman who had worked in the drugstore for nearly forty years.
Fiction book (2001) -
During the festival, the whirling dervishes captivated the audience with their mesmerizing, circular movements.
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In the serene atmosphere of the mosque, the whirling dervish entered a state of deep meditation as he danced.
Synonyms
7
9.9
A member of a Muslim religious group who spins in prayer and lives simply
A member of a Sufi group who spins in a religious dance to feel close to God
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'whirling' (spinning) modifies 'dervish' (a Sufi devotee), so the basic meaning — a dervish who spins as part of practice — is directly derivable from the parts. While there are cultural specifics (Mevlevi order, ritual context) that add nuance, the core sense is literal and follows normal adjective+noun composition, making it accessible to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Whirling dervish comes from a religious practice where a dervish literally whirls, spinning in a fast circle to pray. That's why today whirling dervish is used to mean 'a very energetic or fast-moving person'.