bahai

n.; pl. Bahais A member of the sect of the Babis consisting of the adherents of Baha (Mirza Husain Ali, entitled “Baha 'u 'llah, ” or, “the Splendor of God”), the elder half brother of Mirza Yahya of Nur, who succeeded the Bab as the head of the Babists. Baha in 1863 declared himself the supreme prophet of the sect, and became its recognized head. There are upwards of 20, 000 Bahais in the United States. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]