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min·a·ret

(mĭn′ə-rĕt)

A tall slender tower attached to a mosque, having one or more projecting balconies from which a muezzin or a recording of a muezzin summons the people to prayer.

[Ultimately (partly via French) from Ottoman Turkish mināre, from earlier menāre, from Arabic manāra, lamp, beacon tower of a fortress; see nwr in Semitic roots.]

(click for a larger image)

minaret

Maltepe Mosque designed by Recai Akçay (1909-1967)

Ankara, Turkey

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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