fakir
Other forms: fakirs
A fakir is a Muslim Sufi holy man or woman who lives on only what he or she gets by begging.
A fakir is a kind of wandering Middle Eastern or South Asian monk. Most fakirs follow the Islamic faith, or its more mystical practice, Sufism, though there are also fakirs in Hinduism. As many religions do, Islam places importance on the idea of giving up worldly goods — a fakir owns nothing, only eating what he begs for. In Arabic, in fact, faqir means "poor man." Pronounce fakir with an emphasis on the last syllable, which sounds like "keer."
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a Muslim or Hindu mendicant monk who is regarded as a holy man
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types:
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dervish
an ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movements
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whirler, whirling dervish
a dervish whose actions include ecstatic dancing and whirling
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dervish
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Vocabulary lists containing fakir
This list covers "Let ‘Em Play God" and "The Monkey’s Paw."
When her parents die from an infectious outbreak in colonial India, ten-year-old Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle in England, where she discovers a garden that seems to make magical things happen. Read the full text here.