mullah

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

/ ˈmʌl ə, ˈmʊl ə, ˈmu lə /

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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.

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Also mulla, mollah.

Origin of mullah

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

Words nearby mullah

mulier puisne, mulierty, mulish, Mulki, mull, mullah, mullein, mullein pink, muller, mullered, Müllerian mimicry

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

How to use mullah in a sentence

For decades, Tehran and Riyadh have battled for regional supremacy, each trying to extend its arc of influence in the Middle East using money, military muscle and mullahs.
Tehran, It Is a Changin’|Sean Culligan|June 16, 2021|Ozy
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|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|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|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|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|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

Word Origin for 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