/i mah"muyt/ , n. Islam.
a member of the principal sect of Shi'ah, 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, Imami /i mah"mee/ . Also called Twelver .
[ IMAM + -ITE 1 ]