Ismaili
noun
Is·ma·ili
variants or Ismaʽili or less commonly Ismailian
ˌizmäˈē(ˌ)lē,
ˌism-,
-məˈē-
-lēən
plural -s
: one of a Shiʽa sect composed of those who recognize the Aga Khan as imam
Word History
Etymology
Ismaili, Ismaʽili from Arabic Ismaʽīlīy, from Ismaʽīl † a.d. 760 son of the sixth imam Jafar al-Sadiq and in the opinion of the Ismailis his true successor; Ismailian from Arabic Ismaʽīlīy + English -an