mullah

• IPA^(key): /ˈmʊ.lə/, /ˈmʌ.lə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊlə

Derived from Classical Persian مُلَّا (mullā), from Arabic مَوْلًى (mawlan, “vicar, guardian”).

mullah (plural mullahs)

1. (Islam) An honorific title for a scholar of theology and sharia law.

   Synonym: cleric

   Coordinate terms: elder, rabbi

   • 2024 April 15, Anne Applebaum, “Why Did U.S. Planes Defend Israel but Not Ukraine?”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     Leading Republicans do not sympathize with the mullahs, do not repeat their talking points, and do not seek to appease them when they make outrageous claims about other countries.

2. (Islam) An honorific title for a mosque leader.

   Synonym: cleric

   Coordinate terms: pastor, rabbi

3. (Islam) A scholar and teacher of theology and sharia law, and an issuer of fatwas.

   Hypernym: cleric

   Coordinate terms: bishop, pontifex, dayan

   • 2021, Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Renáta Katalin Nelson, Evaluating Interreligious Peacebuilding and Dialogue Methods and Frameworks‎^[2], page 58:

     In the first week of March 2018, the Shia mullah issues a fatwa prohibiting vengeance killing and requiring reconciliation.

4. (India, religious slur, slang) A conservative Muslim leader or cleric, especially one who is hostile against other religions.
5. (India, religious slur, slang, by extension) A Muslim.
6. (dated, Iran, Islam) A low-level cleric who specializes in telling stories of Ashura, rather than teaching or issuing fatwas.
   See also: ruhani

mullah (third-person singular simple present mullahs, present participle mullahing, simple past and past participle mullahed)

1. (transitive, UK, slang) Alternative form of muller (“to beat, thrash”).
   • 2009, Nigel Benn, The Dark Destroyer:

     But I mullahed him. He may have been four inches taller but I punched him through the ropes and knocked the granny and the grandad out of him.

   • 2016, Ben Cohen, Carry Me Home: My Autobiography, page 76:

     The Sevens practice session was touch rugby, but every time Harvey got the ball, I absolutely mullahed him. I pushed him, dumped him on his arse, ran through him. Every time.

• Hallum

Derived from Classical Persian مُلَّا (mullā), Derived from Arabic مَوْلًى (mawlan).

• IPA^(key): [ˈmula]

mullah c (singular definite mullahen, plural indefinite mullaher)

1. (Islam) mullah

• “mullah” in Den Danske Ordbog

• mulla

< Arabic مُلَّا (mullā)

• IPA^(key): /ˈmulːɑh/, [ˈmulːɑ̝h]
• Rhymes: -ulːɑh
• Syllabification^(key): mul‧lah
• Hyphenation^(key): mul‧lah

mullah

1. mullah (islamic scholar)

• “mullah”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

mullah m (plural mullahs)

1. alternative spelling of mollah