mufti

American  

[muhf-tee] / ˈmʌf ti /

noun

plural

muftis

1. civilian clothes, in contrast with military or other uniforms, or as worn by a person who usually wears a uniform.

2. a Muslim jurist expert in the religious law.

3. (in the Ottoman Empire) a deputy of the chief Muslim legal adviser to the Sultan.

4. (initial capital letter) Grand Mufti.

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mufti ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌftɪ /

noun

1. a Muslim legal expert and adviser on the law of the Koran

2. (in the former Ottoman empire) the leader of the religious community

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mufti ² British  

/ ˈmʌftɪ /

noun

1. civilian dress, esp as worn by a person who normally wears a military uniform

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Etymology

Origin of mufti

First recorded in 1580–90, mufti is from the Arabic word muftī literally, “a person who delivers a judgment,” originally a Muslim legal adviser; sense of mufti def. 1 arises from the legal adviser being a civil official

Example Sentences

In a move widely seen as conciliatory, he made a historic trip to predominantly Muslim Turkey later that year and prayed in Istanbul's Blue Mosque with the city's grand mufti.

From Reuters • Dec. 31, 2022

When Italian bombers attacked Haifa and Tel Aviv, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem sent his congratulations to Mussolini.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2021

The daily An-Nahar said the assailants in Tripoli were angered because the Sunni mufti, al-Shaar, had called the powerful Shiite parliament speaker and head of Amal, Nabih Berri, to apologize for the video.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 18, 2019

Her mufti comprises “a lot of knit and some pink slacks that are very comfy”.

From The Guardian • Dec. 30, 2018

Eventually the mufti backed down and the men left.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai