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tak·fir

(täk′fîr)

n.
Islam

The practice of declaring another Muslim to be a nonbeliever and thus an enemy of Islam.

[Arabic takfīr, accusation of being a nonbeliever, verbal noun of kaffara, to call (someone) a nonbeliever, from kāfir, nonbeliever; see GIAOUR.]

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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