Yezidis

/ ˈjɛzɪdɪz /

plural noun

1. a religious sect found in the Kurdish areas of Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, whose beliefs combine elements of Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, and other religions; in addition to believing in a Supreme God, the Yezidi worship seven angels, among whom is the devil, who is believed to have repented and been pardoned and reinstated as chief angel

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yezidis¹

C19: perhaps from Yazid or Ezid a name for God

Example Sentences

Rohingya Muslim refugee arrivals declined by 62.6%, Christians by 70% and Yezidis by 100% between fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2022, according to the “Closed Doors” report released Wednesday by the evangelical humanitarian groups World Relief and Open Doors US.

From Washington Times

"The Bundestag has decided to name the IS crimes against the Yezidis for what they are: genocide," she added.

From Reuters

The first pope to visit Iraq is expected to travel across a country once home to a variety of religious and ethnic communities that were later swept away by extremism, with Jews, Yezidis, Shabak and Turkmen all enduring pogroms in Iraq’s violent recent history.

From Los Angeles Times

There have, for example, been unproven claims that Yezidis from Iraq have been brought in to fight on the side of Armenia.

From BBC

Islamic State militants enslaved and killed thousands of Yezidis during their brief reign in north Iraq earlier this decade.

From Seattle Times