houri

houri
/hoor"ee, howeur"ee, how"euh ree/, n., pl. houris.
one of the beautiful virgins provided in paradise for all faithful Muslims.
[1730-40; < F < Pers huri < Ar hur pl. of HAURA' gazelle-eyed (woman)]

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▪ Islam
also spelled  huri , Arabic  Ḥawrāʾ , plural  Ḥūr 

      in Islām, a beautiful maiden who awaits the devout Muslim in paradise. The Arabic word ḥawrāʾ signifies the contrast of the clear white of the eye to the blackness of the iris. There are numerous references to the houri in the Qurʾān describing them as “purified wives” and “spotless virgins.” Tradition elaborated on the sensual image of the houri and defined some of her functions; on entering paradise, for example, the believer is presented with a large number of houris, with each of whom he may cohabit once for each day he has fasted in Ramaḍān and once for each good work he has performed.

      Some theologians, such as al-Bayḍāwī, preferred to give the houri a metaphoric interpretation. It has also been suggested that Muḥammad reinterpreted angels he saw in pictures of Christian paradise as houris.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • houri — houri …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • houri — [ uri ] n. f. • 1654; mot persan, de l ar. hour, adj. désignant les femmes qui ont le blanc et le noir des yeux très tranchés ♦ Beauté céleste que le Coran promet au musulman fidèle dans le paradis d Allah. houri n. f. Femme très belle promise… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • houri — nymph of Muslim paradise, 1737, from Fr. houri (1650s), from Pers. huri nymph in Paradise, from Arabic haura to be beautifully dark eyed, like a gazelle + i, Persian formative element denoting the singular …   Etymology dictionary

  • Houri — Hou ri, n.; pl. {Houris}. [Per. h[=u]r[=i], h[=u]r[=a], h[=u]r; akin to Ar. h[=u]r, pl. of ahwar beautiful eyed, black eyed.] A nymph of paradise; so called by the Mohammedans. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • *houri — ● houri nom féminin (persanḥuri, de l arabe ḥūr, pluriel deḥawrā, blancheur) Dans le Coran (III, 20), vierge du paradis, promise comme épouse aux croyants vertueux. Littéraire. Très belle femme …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • houri — [hoo′rē, hou′rē] n. pl. houris [Fr < Pers ḥūri < Ar ḥūrīyah, black eyed woman, ult. < ḥawira, to be dark eyed] 1. in Muslim belief, any of the beautiful nymphs of the Muslim Paradise 2. a seductively beautiful woman …   English World dictionary

  • Houri — In Islam, the hūr or hūrīyah (ArB|حورية‎) are described as (splendid) Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur an , Publisher: The Book Foundation; Bilingual edition (December 2003) Language: English, ISBN 1904510000,Chapter (Surah) An Naba (The… …   Wikipedia

  • Houri — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Houri (homonymie). Houris chevauchant des chameaux dans le paradis. Les houris (masc. arabe ‫حور‬, ḥūr, fé …   Wikipédia en Français

  • houri — (hou ri) s. f. Nom de beautés célestes qui, selon l Alcoran, seront dans le paradis les épouses des musulmans fidèles. •   Ils [les Turcs] se voient dans le neuvième ciel entre les bras de leurs houris, VOLT. Babyl. 3.    Fig. Femme très… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • HOURI — n. f. Nom des créatures célestes qui, selon l’Alcoran, seront dans le paradis les compagnes des musulmans fidèles. Un sourire de houri …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 8eme edition (1935)

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