muezzin

American

[myoo-ez-in, moo-] / myuˈɛz ɪn, mu- /

noun

the crier who, from a minaret or other high part of a mosque, at stated hours five times daily, intones aloud the call summoning Muslims to prayer.

muezzin British

/ muːˈɛzɪn /

noun

Islam the official of a mosque who calls the faithful to prayer five times a day from the minaret

"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

Etymology

Origin of muezzin

1575–85; < Turkish müezzin < Arabic mu'adhdhin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But then the muezzin came on the loudspeaker, announcing the burial was postponed until the remains could be certified by health ministry officials.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2024

Because of his powerful voice, Fakhri briefly worked as a muezzin – the person who calls for prayers – in a mosque in Aleppo.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2021

"Permitting the muezzin call is for me a sign of respect," Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker wrote on Twitter here.

From Reuters • Oct. 11, 2021

He sat by the muezzin, who sang a death prayer for Ali, a Quran open before him on a desk stand.

From New York Times • Nov. 14, 2016

He was explaining to me how the bread baked on these heated pebbles when the nasal call of the muezzin wafted through the air from the mosque.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023