mullah

[ muhl-uh, mool-uh, moo-luh ]

noun

(in Islamic countries) a title of respect for a person who is learned in, teaches, or expounds the sacred law.
(in Turkey) a provincial judge.

Origin of mullah

1605–15; <Persian or Urdu mullā<Arabic mawlā;see maulvi

Also mulla, mollah.

Words Nearby mullah

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mullah in a sentence

Then, it was the arrest of a popular leader named mullah Kareem without just cause that provided the spark.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The defense minister of this short-lived republic was mullah Mustafa Barzani, the Iraqi-born father of Masoud Barzani.
Why Iran Fears Iraq's Kurds | IranWire | August 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And the third was mullah Adahdad, 45, an unarmed cleric who was attacked with a grenade and gunned down by several soldiers.
‘Kill Team’: The Documentary the Army Doesn’t Want You to See | Andrew Romano | July 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As the platoon was leaving the compound, they came across a local: mullah Adahdad.
‘Kill Team’: The Documentary the Army Doesn’t Want You to See | Andrew Romano | July 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A mullah at Tehran University told Iranians on official TV that Jews use jinns, or genies, for espionage.
Iran Cleric: Jews Use Sorcery to Spy | IranWire | July 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

He would kill Henry Falkins here and now, and then go down like a mad mullah, satisfied to pay the penalty with his own life.
The Code of the Mountains | Charles Neville Buck
He made Kim learn whole chapters of the Koran by heart, till he could deliver them with the very roll and cadence of a mullah.
Kim | Rudyard Kipling
Just before they entered it two more of the mullah's men came up with them, leading horses.
King--of the Khyber Rifles | Talbot Mundy
King nodded again, for a nod is less committal than a word; and the nod was enough to start the mullah off again.
King--of the Khyber Rifles | Talbot Mundy
The mullah snorted and went back to the fire, but he took King's cake of soap with him and sat examining it.
King--of the Khyber Rifles | Talbot Mundy

British Dictionary definitions for mullah

mullah

mulla mollah (ˈmɒlə)

/ (ˈmʌlə, ˈmʊlə) /

noun

(formerly) a Muslim scholar, teacher, or religious leader: also used as a title of respect

Origin of mullah

C17: from Turkish molla, Persian and Hindi mulla, from Arabic mawlā master

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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