A Muslim or Hindu religious person who has given up possessions and lives a simple life devoted to spiritual practices, often begging for food.
From Arabic faqīr meaning 'poor person,' derived from the root faqara meaning 'to be poor.' The word entered English through Persian and Hindi during colonial contact with South Asia, where the practice was especially common.
The word faquir shows how English borrowed from multiple languages along trade routes—it traveled from Arabic through Persian traders to Hindi-speaking regions, and British colonizers brought it back to English. Many faquirs became famous for seemingly superhuman feats, inspiring Western fascination with Eastern spirituality that continues today.
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