jinn
noun/d͡ʒɪn/
Etymology Derived from Arabic جِنّ (jinn, collective noun) (singular جِنِّيّ (jinniyy)).
1
A human-like spiritual or immaterial being, as opposed to al-ins (people), often invisible but able to manifest in form and also inhabit people or animals; origin of the genie of Western literature, film etc.
- Even the sad jinn within the graven image slept[.]1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers' Women, Netley, SA: Fontana Books, published 1978, page 342:
- There not only jewels but also dangerous jinn abide: the inconvenient or resisted psychological powers that we have not thought or dared to integrate into our lives.1968, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 2nd edition, London: Fontana Press, published 1993, page 8:
2 more examples
- Surah 18:50: 'And We told the Angels "prostrate yourselves before Adam". So they all prostrated themselves, except Iblees who was one of the jinn.2020, Abu-Hamdiyyah, Muhammad, The Qur'an: an introduction, Routledge, page 101:
- The second context in which jinn occurs in the Qur'an is where we find both ins and jinn are mentioned together. Ins is a collective noun signifying humans, recognisable familiar human beings.2020, Abu-Hamdiyyah, Muhammad, The Qur'an: an introduction, Routledge, page 101: