ayatollah

aya·tol·lah

noun
\ˌī-ə-ˈtō-lə, -ˈtä-, -ˈtə-, ˈī-ə-ˌ\

Definition of AYATOLLAH

: a religious leader among Shiite Muslims —used as a title of respect especially for one who is not an imam

Origin of AYATOLLAH

Persian āyatollāh, literally, sign of God, from Arabic āyatallāh, from āya sign, miracle + allāh God

First Known Use: 1950

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

Rhymes with AYATOLLAH

caracara, con anima, coureur de bois, hors de combat, je ne sais quoi, ménage à trois, petit bourgeois, phenomena, res publica, sursum corda, tamandua