Druze

or Druse

[ drooz ]

noun

1. Islam. a member of an independent religious sect living chiefly in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, established in the 11th century as a branch of Ismaʿili Shiʿism and containing elements of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and believing in the transmigration of souls and the ultimate perfection of humankind.

Other Words From

• Druze·an Druzi·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Druze¹

1595–1605; < Arabic durūz, plural of durzī a Druze, derivative of the name of one of the sect founders, Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Darazī

Example Sentences

Israeli settlers there live alongside about 20,000 Syrians, most of them Druze, who stayed on in the Golan after it was captured.

From BBC

“Christians, Druze, Muslims Sunni and Shia, all of you are suffering because of Hezbollah’s futile war against Israel,” he said.

From BBC

Earlier this summer, a Hezbollah rocket attack killed 12 Druze children on a soccer field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the deadliest such attack of the war.

From Slate

But scattered across this region’s tree-covered mountains, tobacco fields and orchards of apple and fig, are predominantly Sunni, Christian and Druze towns and villages — most of which are at best ambivalent toward Hezbollah.

From Los Angeles Times

The immediate crisis is a result of what Israel officials say was a Hezbollah rocket attack that killed 12 Israeli Druze youths.

From Los Angeles Times