[Diamond]

This is from the Noah Webster 1828 American Dictionary of the English language. Noah Webster, in his preface to his dictionary, spells out his worldview quite clearly as being that of a Christian who believes in the revelation of Scripture.

Modern dictionary 'writers' do not reveal their worldviews in their dictionaries.

Interesting that "terrorists" is the term we use now and the word "abdals" is no longer in the Webster-Mirriam Dictonary - even as an obsolete word. Why not? Could it be because the writers/editors of the dictionary were ignorant of this word - or is it because it is 'politically offensive' to those of a certain religion who would object?

The new Mirriam Webster online dictionary states:
"The word you've entered isn't in the dictionary."

Although the word "abdals" is defined in some modern dictionaries it has lost its precision and political correctness has made for an inaccurate definition.

Cordially,

[agere_contra]

Sometimes dictionaries make up words as a form of copyright protection, so you never know. Is Ab'dals independently attested?

[Nebr FAL owner]

As the saying goes "Nothing says F*CK YOU abdul like a load of double ought buckshot" now we have some idea why that particular phrase came about.

[RightWhale]

The 1828 Dictionary sounds like an encyclopedia if all the word definitions are that long.

[Andy from Beaverton]

In my Webster's New International Dictionary, 1945, it says, "a member of high degree in the Sufi order of saints".

[fallujah-nuker]

I wonder if the word is actually to be spelled "ab'dals" or is it perhaps "abd'als?" Abd is the the Arabic word for slave and is used in some names, e.g. Abdallah, i.e. slave of Allah. It is also synonymous with the word for black people in Arabic, they refer to blacks as slaves.

[Slip18]

Nice teaching there, Diamond. Abdal is a good word for them.