[ ˌrastə'fα:rɪən , -'fɛ:rɪən ]
■ adjective relating to a religious movement of Jamaican origin holding that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was the Messiah and that blacks are the chosen people.
■ noun a member of this movement.
Derivatives
~ism noun
Origin
from Ras Tafari , the name by which Haile Selassie was known (1916–30) + -an .