# Shi'a

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈʃiːə/ · frequency rank #63,995

## Definitions
1. Shi'a Islam.
2. The followers of this branch of Islam; the Shiites.

## 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”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shi-a