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houri

 - 4 dictionary results

hou⋅ri

  [hoor-ee, houuhr-ee, hou-uh-ree]
–noun, plural -ris.
one of the beautiful virgins provided in paradise for all faithful Muslims.
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Origin:
1730–40; < F < Pers hūrī < Ar ḥūr pl. of ḥaurāʾ gazelle-eyed (woman)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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hou·ri   (hŏŏr'ē, hōō'rē)   
n.   pl. hou·ris

  1. A voluptuous, alluring woman.

  2. One of the beautiful virgins of the Koranic paradise.


[French, from Persian ḥūrī, from Arabic ḥūrīya, nymph, houri, from ḥūr, pl. of 'aḥwaru, feminine of ḥawrā'u, possessing ḥawar, intense whiteness of the sclera contrasting with deep blackness of the iris of the eye; see ḥwr in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

houri 
"nymph of Muslim paradise," 1737, from Fr. houri (1654), from Pers. huri "nymph in Paradise," from Ar. haura "to be beautifully dark-eyed," like a gazelle.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

houri

in Islam, a beautiful maiden who awaits the devout Muslim in paradise. The Arabic word hawra' signifies the contrast of the clear white of the eye to the blackness of the iris. There are numerous references to the houri in the Qur'an describing them as "purified wives" and "spotless virgins." Tradition elaborated on the sensual image of the houri and defined some of her functions; on entering paradise, for example, the believer is presented with a large number of houris, with each of whom he may cohabit once for each day he has fasted in Ramadan and once for each good work he has performed.

Learn more about houri with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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