noun
or sa·fa·vid səˈfäˌwēd ; also sa·fa·vi -ä(ˌ)wē
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Safawid, Safavid from Arabic ṣafawīy descended from Ṣafī-al-Dīn (from Ṣafī-al-Dīn died 1334 Persian saint of Arab lineage) + English -id; Safavi from Arabic ṣafawīy
: a member of a Muhammadan Persian dynasty founded in 1502 by Shah Ismail