Rajneeshee
/ˌrɑːdʒˈniːʃiː/(also Rajneeshi, Rajneeshie) Now chiefly historical
noun
A member of the sect founded by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (subsequently known as the Osho-Rajneesh movement), which combines elements of various religious traditions with Western philosophy and a countercultural critique of traditional morality.
- The sect achieved notoriety because of an incident in 1984 in which members tainted food in restaurants near the sect's compound in Oregon, U.S.A., with salmonella bacteria, as a result of which over 700 people fell ill..
adjective
Of or relating to this sect.
Origin
1980s; earliest use found in The Times. From the name of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, pseudonym of Chandra Mohan Jain, Indian founder of the sect + -ee (probably rendering Sanskrit -īya, suffix forming nouns denoting adherents or followers).