rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryayatollahReligious leader
noun

ayatollah

eye-uh-TOH-luh/ˌaɪəˈtəʊlə/

A high-ranking Shiite Muslim religious leader.

The portrait depicts Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a holder of the religious title.

A restrained, recognizable portrait of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in his clerical clothing, using a documented holder of the title rather than implying that clothing alone establishes religious rank.
Etymology
ayatArabicmiraculous sign
+ollahArabicGod

The title presents its bearer as a “miraculous sign of God,” making an expression of divine significance an honorific for a senior Shiite religious leader.

In context

Real Time History2:30
even conservative clergymen like the influential Ayatollah Kashani
How the US Turned Iran Into a Dictatorship: The 1953 Coup (Documentary)

More examples

  • The historian studied the ayatollah’s influence.
  • Several religious students attended the ayatollah’s lecture.
  • The article discussed the authority of an ayatollah.

Forms

ayatollah · ayatollahs

Similar words

cleric
Cleric is a broad religious role; ayatollah identifies a high scholarly rank in Shiite Islam.
imam
Imam has several leadership meanings in Islam; it is not interchangeable with ayatollah’s particular rank.