mullah
noun
mul·lah ˈmə-lə 
ˈmu̇-
ˈmu̇- : an educated Muslim trained in religious law and doctrine and usually holding an official post
mullahism
ˈmə-lə-ˌi-zəm
noun ˈmu̇-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web As of this month, the country’s electric utility company, which hasn’t paid its foreign power suppliers or collected much revenue at home since Aug. 15, is headed by a mullah. 
Saeed Shah, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2021 Once the mullah fell to the ground, another person shot him four times in the chest. WSJ, 26 Sep. 2021 After receiving permission from the local mullah, or Islamic religious leader, the soldiers filled several Conex boxes with food, toys, candy and other presents and delivered them to the villagers. The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2021 The mullah crouched beside him and read a prayer, asking for God to show mercy on his soul. New York Times, 27 Aug. 2021 The mullah, his feet in shiny leather loafers, hopped out of the vehicle, climbed onto the cargo bed and affixed the flag to the antenna. Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2021 Some children attend a madrasa, or Islamic school, run by a mullah at a tiny mosque in a nearby settlement. New York Times, 27 Dec. 2020 This argument will probably permeate Israeli decision-making as long as Iran is ruled by mullahs and the Revolutionary Guards. Steven Simon, The New York Review of Books, 16 Jan. 2020 In 2004, Lautenberg was extended to Iran — and not just the Jews and Christians in the country but also the Baha'is, a religious sect that is considered heretical by Iran's mullahs. Shikha Dalmia, TheWeek, 7 Feb. 2020 See More
Saeed Shah, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2021 Once the mullah fell to the ground, another person shot him four times in the chest. WSJ, 26 Sep. 2021 After receiving permission from the local mullah, or Islamic religious leader, the soldiers filled several Conex boxes with food, toys, candy and other presents and delivered them to the villagers. The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2021 The mullah crouched beside him and read a prayer, asking for God to show mercy on his soul. New York Times, 27 Aug. 2021 The mullah, his feet in shiny leather loafers, hopped out of the vehicle, climbed onto the cargo bed and affixed the flag to the antenna. Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2021 Some children attend a madrasa, or Islamic school, run by a mullah at a tiny mosque in a nearby settlement. New York Times, 27 Dec. 2020 This argument will probably permeate Israeli decision-making as long as Iran is ruled by mullahs and the Revolutionary Guards. Steven Simon, The New York Review of Books, 16 Jan. 2020 In 2004, Lautenberg was extended to Iran — and not just the Jews and Christians in the country but also the Baha'is, a religious sect that is considered heretical by Iran's mullahs. Shikha Dalmia, TheWeek, 7 Feb. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Turkish molla & Persian & Urdu mulla, from Arabic mawlā
First Known Use
1613, in the meaning defined above