Standard Lemma guide

Shi'a

name · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈʃiːə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːə

1

name

Meaning 1

Shi'a Islam.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Shi'i Islam, Shi'ism

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

The followers of this branch of Islam; the Shiites.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: collective

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Synonym of Shiite.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Shiite

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Arabic شِيعَة (šīʕa, “sect, faction, party; [collectively] followers, partisans”), as the word has been used in شِيعَة عَلِيّ (šīʕat ʕalī, “the faction of Ali; [collectively] the followers of Ali”) or الشِّيعَة (aš-šīʕa, “the Faction; the Followers”).

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شِيعَة عَلِيّ (šīʕat ʕalī) — branch of Islam
  • Arabic: الشِّيعَة (aš-šīʕa) — branch of Islam
  • Aramaic: ܫܝܥܗ — branch of Islam
  • Aramaic: ܫܝܥܐ — branch of Islam
  • Armenian: շիա (šia) — branch of Islam
  • Azerbaijani: şiə — branch of Islam
  • Azerbaijani: şiəlik — branch of Islam
  • Azerbaijani: şiə məzhəbi — branch of Islam
  • Azerbaijani: şiə təriqəti — branch of Islam
  • Bengali: শিয়া (śiẏa) — branch of Islam
  • Catalan: xiisme — branch of Islam
  • Chinese Mandarin: 什葉派 /什叶派 (Shíyèpài) — branch of Islam
  • Danish: shia — branch of Islam
  • Dutch: sjia — branch of Islam
  • Esperanto: ŝijaismo — branch of Islam
  • Finnish: šiialaisuus — branch of Islam
  • Finnish: shiialaisuus — branch of Islam
  • French: chiisme — branch of Islam
  • Georgian: შიიზმი (šiizmi) — branch of Islam
  • German: Schia — branch of Islam
  • Hindi: शिया (śiyā) — branch of Islam
  • Italian: sciismo — branch of Islam
  • Japanese: シーア派 (shīa-ha) — branch of Islam
  • Kazakh: шиитшілдік (şiitşıldık) — branch of Islam
  • Persian: شِیعَه (šī'a) — branch of Islam
  • Persian: شِیعَةْ (šī'at) — branch of Islam
  • Dari: شِیعَه (šī'a) — branch of Islam
  • Iranian Persian: شیعه (ši'e) — branch of Islam
  • Polish: szyizm — branch of Islam
  • Portuguese: xiismo — branch of Islam
  • Romanian: șiism — branch of Islam
  • Russian: шии́зм (šiízm) — branch of Islam
  • Spanish: chiismo — branch of Islam
  • Turkish: Şia — branch of Islam
  • Turkish: Şiilik — branch of Islam
  • Uyghur: شىئە (shi'e) — branch of Islam
  • Volapük: jiit — branch of Islam