Mandaean
/mænˈdiːən/noun
Relating to the Mandaeans, a religious community from southern Iraq and southwestern Iran whose tradition venerates John the Baptist.
Did you know?Mandaeans revere John the Baptist above other biblical figures and perform repeated baptismal rites in flowing water, a practice called masbuta.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*y-d-ʿ
“To know; to have knowledge— the ancestral Semitic root behind the word.”
Ancient Aramaic
Aramaic
manda
“Knowledge, learning, or religious knowledge.”
Late Antiquity
Mandaic
mandaia
“Knowledgeable or possessing knowledge; the term used in the Mandaic religious tradition.”
Late Antiquity
Mandaic
Mandaiia
“Mandaeans, traditionally understood as people of knowledge or religious understanding.”
19th Century
European scholarship
Mandaean
“The English scholarly form referring to the Mandaean people, language, and religion.”
Modern English
English
Mandaean
“Relating to the Mandaeans or their religion, Mandaeism.”