ghazi
n. countablen. a person who goes on a holy war or a military campaign for their religion. It is often used to describe a warrior who fights for Islam.
n. a person who undertakes a holy war or a military expedition for religious purposes. Often used in historical contexts to describe a Muslim warrior or a specific type of soldier.
The ghazi led his men across the desert to the holy city.
Historical records describe the ghazi as a warrior who fought not for personal gain but for the expansion of his faith.
The term ghazi carries a specific historical weight, often denoting a soldier who engaged in a defensive or offensive campaign to protect or extend the boundaries of the Islamic world.
From Arabic غَازٍ (ḡāzī, “raider, holy warrior”), from the active participle of غَزَا (ḡazā, “to raid”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated June 18, 2026