fedai

F4E1D2A1I1
UK/fɛdʌɪˈiː/

noun

An Ismaili Muslim assassin; also (later), a killer in the same tradition.

OriginIranian Persian فدائی ← Arabic فِدَائِيّ →
First used 18th c.Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounfedai (plural fedai or fedais)

plural fedais

  1. historicalAn Ismaili Muslim assassin; also (later), a killer in the same tradition.First known use 18th c.
  2. rareA member of the fedayeen; a dedicated guerrilla fighter.First known use 20th c.

    Enver […] received other Young Turk fedaî officers at his base camp in Ayn al-Mansur.

    2015, Eugene Rogan, The Fall of the Ottomans, Penguin, published 2016, page 16

Origin

  1. Arabicفِدَائِيّ
  2. Iranian Persianفدائی“someone who risks their life for a cause”
  3. Englishfedai

From Iranian Persian فدائی (fedâ'i, “someone who risks their life for a cause”), and its source, Arabic فِدَائِيّ (fidāʔiyy). Doublet of fedayee.

More words from Iranian Persian, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fedai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fedai

MLA

“fedai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fedai. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fedai,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fedai.

Source: fedai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.