The Rice University Neologisms Database

A collective noun used to refer to computerized and electronic attacks by Muslim terrorists. ('We need to secure our network in case it is targeted by the e-jihad.') The formation might also be a clipping of 'electronic jihad', modeled after 'e-mail'. I believe the prefix is common enough that this is less likely. 'Jihad' is a word borrowed into English. Its meaning is known by most English speakers. The coiner wished to convey the idea of electronic attacks by Muslim terrorists on computer networks and other electronic systems. The term 'jihad' conveys the perpetrators of such attacks, but does not accurately convey their nature. 'Jihad' is associated with physical attacks rather than those using computers. So the coiner added the 'e-' prefix to denote the electronic, computerized nature of the attacks. The 'e-' suffix is widely understood by English speakers to have this meaning. The word thus accurately conveys the idea, and is easier to say and write than a phrase describing the computerized attacks. It is formed from the prefix 'e-' which means 'electronic' or 'computerized'. It seems to have become a productive prefix, forming other words like 'e-books' and 'e-mail'. This prefix is then combined with the root 'jihad', which most often means a Muslim holy war.