different between mullah vs ayatollah

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?.l?/, /?m?.l?/
• Rhymes: -?l?

Etymology 1

From Turkish molla, Persian ???? (mollâ), from Arabic ???????? (mawlan, “vicar, guardian”).

Noun

mullah (plural mullahs)

1. (Islam) A religious scholar and teacher of sharia law.

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

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

1. (transitive, Britain, slang) Alternative form of muller (“to beat, thrash”)
   • 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.

Anagrams

• Hallum

English

Alternative forms

• ayatolla

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian ????????? (âyatollâh), from Arabic ????? ??????? (??yatu ll?h, “sign of God”), from ????? (??ya, “sign”) + ??????? (all?h, “God”).

Noun

ayatollah (plural ayatollahs)

1. A religious leader in Twelver Shi'ism.
2. (colloquial) An authority on any subject.

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian ????????? (âyatollâh), from Arabic ????? ??????? (??yatu ll?h, “sign of God”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a?.ja??t?.la?/
• Hyphenation: aya?tol?lah

Noun

ayatollah m (plural ayatollahs, diminutive ayatollaatje n)

1. A religious leader in Twelver Shi'ism.
2. Highest grade of theological scholarship in Shi'ism.
3. (by extension) A (thought) leader or key figure in general.
   • 2017, Alain Mouton, Het geld is op! De financiële putten van België.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian ????????? (âyatollâh), from Arabic ????? ??????? (??yatu ll?h, “sign of God”), from ????? (??ya, “sign”) + ??????? (all?h, “God”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ja.t?.la/

Noun

ayatollah m (plural ayatollahs)

1. ayatollah
2. (figuratively, derogatory) strong proponent of something; person behaving tyrannically and despotically in a particular matter

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian ????????? (âyatollâh), from Arabic ????? ??????? (??yatu ll?h, “sign of God”), from ????? (??ya, “sign”) + ??????? (all?h, “God”).

Noun

ayatollah m (invariable)

1. ayatollah

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

ayatollah m

1. form removed by a 1984 spelling decision; superseded by ayatolla

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

ayatollah m

1. form removed by a 1984 spelling decision; superseded by ayatolla