[ 'bα:bɪz(ə)m ]
■ noun a religion founded in 1844 by the Persian Mirza Ali Muhammad, who taught that a new prophet would follow Muhammad. See also Baha'i .
Derivatives
Babi noun
Origin
C19: via Pers. from Arab. bāb 'intermediary', lit. 'gate' (taken as a name by the founder) + -ism .