Etymology

Mahdi

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Today it means: A leader who, according to Sunni eschatology, will appear and restore peace and justice before the end of the world. Full definition →

Arabic مَهْدِيّ (mahdiyy)
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The story

  1. Arabicهَدَى (hadā)
  2. Arabicمَهْدِيّ (mahdiyy)
  3. English todayMahdi

Borrowed from Arabic مَهْدِيّ (mahdiyy, “guided one”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. A leader who, according to Sunni eschatology, will appear and restore peace and justice before the end of the world.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.