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Su·fi

(sfē) Islam

n. pl. Su·fis

A Muslim mystic.

adj.

Of or relating to the Sufis.

[Arabic ṣūfī, (man) of wool, Sufi, from ṣūf, wool (probably from their woolen garments), perhaps from Aramaic ṣippā, ṣuppā, carded wool; see ṣpp in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Sufic (-fĭk), Su·fistic (-fĭstĭk) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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