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mul·lah also mul·la

(mŭlə, mlə)

n.
Islam

1. A religious teacher or leader, especially in Shiite practice.

2. Used as a form of address for such a teacher.

[Urdu mullā, from Persian, from Arabic mawlā, master, friend, from waliya, to become near, be in charge; see wly in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

mullah·ism n.

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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