Donmeh
/ˈdɒnmeɪ/noun
A member of a Jewish religious group whose followers publicly converted to Islam while privately preserving Sabbatean beliefs.
Did you know?The Donmeh emerged after the 17th-century Jewish mystic Sabbatai Zevi converted to Islam, yet many followers continued practicing a concealed form of Sabbatean religion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Turkic
Proto-Turkic
*dön-
“To turn, rotate, or change direction”
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish
dönmek
“To turn, return, or undergo a change”
17th Century
Ottoman Turkish
dönme
“One who turns away or converts; a term applied to followers who followed Sabbatai Zevi into Islam”
17th–18th Century
Ottoman Turkish
Dönme
“A member of the concealed Sabbatean community centered in the Ottoman Empire”
19th Century
English
Donmeh
“An English rendering of Turkish Dönme, referring to the Sabbatean-descended community”
Modern English
English
donmeh
“A member of the historically syncretic Jewish-Islamic Sabbatean community”