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mahdi

 - 3 dictionary results

Mah⋅di

  [mah-dee]
–noun, plural -dis.
1. the Muslim messiah, an expected spiritual and temporal ruler destined to establish a reign of righteousness throughout the world.
2. any of various claimants to this role, esp. Muhammad Ahmed, who established an independent government in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan that lasted until 1898.
Use mahdi in a Sentence
Origin:
1790–1800; < Ar mahdīy he who is guided

Related forms:
Mahdism  [mah-diz-uhm] , noun
Mahdist, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To mahdi
Mah·di   (mä'dē)   
n.   pl. Mah·dis Islam

    1. The messiah prophesied to appear at the world's end and establish a reign of peace and righteousness.

    2. In Shia belief, the 12th imam, who is expected to emerge from occlusion to fulfill this role.

  2. A person who claims to be or is seen as the messiah.


[Arabic mahdī, rightly guided one, Mahdi, passive participle of hadā, to lead; see hdy in Semitic roots.]
Mah'dism n., Mah'dist n.
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

mahdi 
1792, from Arabic mahdiy, lit. "he who is guided aright," pp. of hada "to lead in the right way." Spiritual and temporal leader expected by some Muslims. Applied c.1880 to insurrectionary leaders in the Sudan who claimed to be him.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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