chií

Shia

adjective chee-EE Rare

Origin: From Arabic shī'ī (follower, partisan), from shī'a (party, faction), referring to the partisans of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Usage Note

Chií (also spelled chiíta or chiita) refers to the branch of Islam followed by roughly 15% of Muslims worldwide. Spanish uses both chií and the longer form chiíta, the latter being more common in journalistic writing. The word is invariable in gender when used adjectivally (el mundo chií, la comunidad chií), though chiíta follows regular adjective agreement. Its counterpart is suní (Sunni).

Examples

"La comunidad chií celebró la festividad con devoción."

Natural Translation

The Shia community celebrated the festival with devotion.

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