Meanings
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1
noun
a Muslim religious mendicant, especially a Sufi ascetic who renounces material possessions
The fakir lived on alms and devoted his days to prayer.
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2
noun
in broader historical usage, a Hindu ascetic or holy man, especially one associated with feats of endurance
Travel accounts described a fakir who remained motionless for hours in meditation.
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3
noun
dated: a person who deceives others by claiming spiritual or magical powers
The newspaper exposed the supposed healer as a fakir who used simple stage tricks.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic faqīr ("poor, needy person"), a term used for a Muslim religious mendicant, especially in Sufi traditions. English later applied the word more broadly to South Asian ascetics and, in a dated figurative use, to fraudulent wonder-workers.