[ man'di:ən ]
(also Mandean )
■ noun
1》 a member of a Gnostic sect surviving in Iraq and SW Iran, who regard John the Baptist as the Messiah.
2》 the language of the ~s, a form of Aramaic.
■ adjective relating to the ~s or their language.
Origin
C19: from ~ Aramaic mandaia 'Gnostics, those who have knowledge'.