Djinns

/dʒɪnz/ noun

Definition

Plural of djinn; supernatural beings made of smokeless fire in Islamic and Arabian mythology, often depicted as powerful entities that can shape-shift and grant wishes.

Etymology

From Arabic 'jinn' (جني), derived from the root 'j-n-n' meaning 'to hide' or 'to conceal.' The word entered European languages through translations of Arabian tales like the One Thousand and One Nights, becoming anglicized as 'genie' or 'djinn.'

Kelly Says

The singular 'djinn' is actually already plural in Arabic, so technically 'djinns' is a double plural in English—like how we sometimes say 'octopuses' even though 'octopi' is the Latin plural! The concept of djinn influenced Western fantasy so deeply that they became the template for genies, wish-granters, and magical beings in countless stories.

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