Dictionary
I•mam•ite
Pronunciation: (i-mä'mīt), [key]—
n. Islam.
a member of the principal sect of Shiعah, believing in a succession of twelve divinely inspired imams, beginning with Ali and ending with Muhammad al-Muntazar (d. a.d. c880), who supposedly retired to a cave, later to return as the Mahdi.
Also,I•ma•miPronunciation: (i-mä'mē). [key]Also called
Twelver. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.