ʿulama

or u·le·ma

[ oo-luh-mah ]
/ ˈu ləˌmɑ /

plural noun Islam.

the doctors of Muslim religion and law.

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Origin of ʿulama

First recorded in 1680–90, ʿulama is from the Arabic word ʿulamā learned men

Words nearby ʿulama

ʿain, ʿalawite, ʿarafat, ʿashuraʾ, ʿayn, ʿulama, ʿumrah, α, β, γ, δ, δ
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ulama

British Dictionary definitions for ulama (1 of 2)

ulama1

ulema

/ (ˈuːlɪmə) /

noun

a body of Muslim scholars or religious leaders
a member of this body

Word Origin for ulama

C17: from Arabic `ulamā scholars, from `alama to know

British Dictionary definitions for ulama (2 of 2)

ulama2
/ (ˌuːˈlɑːmə) /

noun

a Meso-American team ball game, with a history dating back to as early as 1500 bc, played with a solid rubber ball on a long narrow court

Word Origin for ulama

from Nahuatl Ullamalitztli ball game
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