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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ji·had    Audio Help   [ji-hahd] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims.
2.any vigorous, emotional crusade for an idea or principle.
Also, jehad.

[Origin: 1865–70; < Ar jihād struggle, strife]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
jihad

To learn more about jihad visit Britannica.com

© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ji·had also je·had    Audio Help   (jĭ-häd')  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. Islam An individual's striving for spiritual self-perfection.
  2. Islam A Muslim holy war or spiritual struggle against infidels.
  3. A crusade or struggle: "The war against smoking is turning into a jihad against people who smoke" (Fortune).


[Arabic jihād, from jahada, to strive; see ghd in Semitic roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
jihad 
1869, from Ar., usually translated as "holy war," lit. "struggle, contest, effort," from inf. of jahada "he waged war, he applied himself to." Used for any doctrinal crusade since c.1880.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
jihad

noun
1. a holy war waged by Muslims against infidels 
2. a holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
jihad [(ji-hahd, ji-had)]

In Islam, a holy war; a war ordained by God. The Koran teaches that soldiers who die in jihad go to heaven immediately.

Note: Modern-day terrorists often claim that they are carrying out acts of destruction, such as the attacks on the World Trade Center towers, as part of a jihad.

[Chapter:] World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion


The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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