Jinn
/dʒɪn/noun
In Islamic tradition, a class of invisible beings created from smokeless fire, capable of good or evil.
Did you know?The Arabic root j-n-n carries the core idea of being hidden or covered, which is why it also appears in words for a garden and a fetus — things concealed from view.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
PS
*ginn- / *jinn-
“A hidden or concealed being or state (reconstructed root associated with concealment).”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
jinn
“Invisible beings hidden from human sight, often understood as spirits or supernatural entities.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
jānn
“A singular or collective form referring to a jinn-being.”
Qur'anic Arabic
Arabic
jinn
“A class of unseen beings created from smokeless fire.”
Modern English
English
jinn
“An Arabic loanword used in English for a spirit or supernatural being from Islamic tradition.”