mullah

See also: Mullah

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmʊ.lə/, /ˈmʌ.lə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊlə

Etymology 1

Derived from Classical Persian مُلَّا (mullā), from Arabic مَوْلًى (mawlan, “vicar, guardian”).

Noun

mullah (plural mullahs)

1. (Islam) An honorific title for a scholar of theology and sharia law.

   Synonym: cleric

   Coordinate terms: elder, rabbi

   • 2024 April 15, Anne Applebaum, “Why Did U.S. Planes Defend Israel but Not Ukraine?”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     Leading Republicans do not sympathize with the mullahs, do not repeat their talking points, and do not seek to appease them when they make outrageous claims about other countries.

2. (Islam) An honorific title for a mosque leader.

   Synonym: cleric

   Coordinate terms: pastor, rabbi

3. (Islam) A scholar and teacher of theology and sharia law, and an issuer of fatwas.

   Hypernym: cleric

   Coordinate terms: bishop, pontifex, dayan

   • 2021, Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Renáta Katalin Nelson, Evaluating Interreligious Peacebuilding and Dialogue Methods and Frameworks‎^[2], page 58:

     In the first week of March 2018, the Shia mullah issues a fatwa prohibiting vengeance killing and requiring reconciliation.

4. (India, religious slur, slang) A conservative Muslim leader or cleric, especially one who is hostile against other religions.
5. (India, religious slur, slang, by extension) A Muslim.
6. (dated, Iran, Islam) A low-level cleric who specializes in telling stories of Ashura, rather than teaching or issuing fatwas.
   See also: ruhani

Derived terms

• mullahcracy
• mullahism

Translations

a Muslim religious scholar and teacher

• Albanian: mulla (sq) m
• Altai:

  Southern Altai: мулла (mulla)

• Amharic: ሙላህ (mulah)
• Arabic: مُلَّا m (mullā), مَوْلًى m (mawlan)
• Armenian: մոլլա (hy) (molla)
• Azerbaijani: molla (az)
• Bashkir: мулла (mulla)
• Belarusian: мула́ m (mulá)
• Bengali: মোল্লা (bn) (mōlla), আখন্দ (bn) (akhondo)
• Bulgarian: молла́ (bg) m (mollá)
• Chechen: молла (molla)
• Chinese:

  Dungan: мола (mola), ахун (ahun)

  Mandarin: 毛拉 (zh) (máolā), 穆拉 (mùlā), 阿訇 (zh) (āhōng)

• Danish: mullah c
• Finnish: mullah (fi)
• French: mollah (fr) m
• Georgian: მოლა (ka) (mola)
• German: Mullah (de) m, Mulla (de) m, Molla m
• Greek: μουλάς (el) m (moulás)
• Hebrew: מולא m (mula)
• Hindi: मुल्ला (hi) m (mullā)
• Indonesian: mullah (id)
• Japanese: ムッラー (murra)
• Kazakh: молда (molda)
• Korean: 물라 (mulla)
• Kumyk: молла (molla)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: مەلا (ckb) (mela)

  Northern Kurdish: mela (ku), mele (ku) m

• Kyrgyz: молдо (moldo)
• Macedonian: му́ла m (múla)
• Malay: mullah
• Nogai: молла (molla)
• Pashto: ملا (ps) m (məlã, molã)
• Persian:

  Dari: مُلَّا (mullā), آخُونْد (āxūnd)

  Iranian Persian: مُلَّا (mollâ), آخونْد (âxund)

• Polish: mułła (pl) m
• Portuguese: mulá (pt) m
• Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi: ਮੁੱਲਾ m (mullā)

• Russian: мулла́ (ru) m (mullá)
• Sango: mâlamu
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мула m

  Latin: mula (sh) m

• Spanish: mulá (es) m
• Tajik: мулло (mullo), охунд (oxund)
• Tatar: мулла (tt) (mulla)
• Tigrinya: ሙላህ (mulah)
• Turkish: molla (tr)
• Turkmen: molla
• Ukrainian: мулла́ m (mullá)
• Urdu: مَولْوِی m (maulvī), مُلّا m (mullā) (derogatory)
• Uyghur: موللا (ug) (molla), موللام (mollam), ئاخۇن (axun)
• Uzbek: mulla (uz), oxund (uz)

Etymology 2

Verb

mullah (third-person singular simple present mullahs, present participle mullahing, simple past and past participle mullahed)

1. (transitive, UK, slang) Alternative form of muller (“to beat, thrash”).
   • 2009, Nigel Benn, The Dark Destroyer:

     But I mullahed him. He may have been four inches taller but I punched him through the ropes and knocked the granny and the grandad out of him.

   • 2016, Ben Cohen, Carry Me Home: My Autobiography, page 76:

     The Sevens practice session was touch rugby, but every time Harvey got the ball, I absolutely mullahed him. I pushed him, dumped him on his arse, ran through him. Every time.

Anagrams

• Hallum

Danish

Etymology

Derived from Classical Persian مُلَّا (mullā), Derived from Arabic مَوْلًى (mawlan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmula]

Noun

mullah c (singular definite mullahen, plural indefinite mullaher)

1. (Islam) mullah

Inflection

Declension of mullah

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mullah	mullahen	mullaher	mullaherne
genitive	mullahs	mullahens	mullahers	mullahernes

References

• “mullah” in Den Danske Ordbog

Finnish

Alternative forms

• mulla

Etymology

< Arabic مُلَّا (mullā)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmulːɑh/, [ˈmulːɑ̝h]
• Rhymes: -ulːɑh
• Syllabification^(key): mul‧lah
• Hyphenation^(key): mul‧lah

Noun

mullah

1. mullah (islamic scholar)

Declension

Inflection of mullah (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative		mullah	mullahit
genitive		mullahin	mullahien mullaheiden mullaheitten
partitive		mullahia	mullaheita mullaheja
illative		mullahiin	mullaheihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mullah	mullahit
accusative	nom.	mullah	mullahit
	gen.	mullahin
genitive		mullahin	mullahien mullaheiden mullaheitten
partitive		mullahia	mullaheita mullaheja
inessive		mullahissa	mullaheissa
elative		mullahista	mullaheista
illative		mullahiin	mullaheihin
adessive		mullahilla	mullaheilla
ablative		mullahilta	mullaheilta
allative		mullahille	mullaheille
essive		mullahina	mullaheina
translative		mullahiksi	mullaheiksi
abessive		mullahitta	mullaheitta
instructive		—	mullahein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mullah (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mullahini mullahini accusative nom. mullahini mullahini gen. mullahini genitive mullahini mullahieni mullaheideni mullaheitteni partitive mullahiani mullaheitani mullahejani inessive mullahissani mullaheissani elative mullahistani mullaheistani illative mullahiini mullaheihini adessive mullahillani mullaheillani ablative mullahiltani mullaheiltani allative mullahilleni mullaheilleni essive mullahinani mullaheinani translative mullahikseni mullaheikseni abessive mullahittani mullaheittani instructive — — comitative — mullaheineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mullahisi mullahisi accusative nom. mullahisi mullahisi gen. mullahisi genitive mullahisi mullahiesi mullaheidesi mullaheittesi partitive mullahiasi mullaheitasi mullahejasi inessive mullahissasi mullaheissasi elative mullahistasi mullaheistasi illative mullahiisi mullaheihisi adessive mullahillasi mullaheillasi ablative mullahiltasi mullaheiltasi allative mullahillesi mullaheillesi essive mullahinasi mullaheinasi translative mullahiksesi mullaheiksesi abessive mullahittasi mullaheittasi instructive — — comitative — mullaheinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mullahimme mullahimme accusative nom. mullahimme mullahimme gen. mullahimme genitive mullahimme mullahiemme mullaheidemme mullaheittemme partitive mullahiamme mullaheitamme mullahejamme inessive mullahissamme mullaheissamme elative mullahistamme mullaheistamme illative mullahiimme mullaheihimme adessive mullahillamme mullaheillamme ablative mullahiltamme mullaheiltamme allative mullahillemme mullaheillemme essive mullahinamme mullaheinamme translative mullahiksemme mullaheiksemme abessive mullahittamme mullaheittamme instructive — — comitative — mullaheinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mullahinne mullahinne accusative nom. mullahinne mullahinne gen. mullahinne genitive mullahinne mullahienne mullaheidenne mullaheittenne partitive mullahianne mullaheitanne mullahejanne inessive mullahissanne mullaheissanne elative mullahistanne mullaheistanne illative mullahiinne mullaheihinne adessive mullahillanne mullaheillanne ablative mullahiltanne mullaheiltanne allative mullahillenne mullaheillenne essive mullahinanne mullaheinanne translative mullahiksenne mullaheiksenne abessive mullahittanne mullaheittanne instructive — — comitative — mullaheinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative mullahinsa mullahinsa accusative nom. mullahinsa mullahinsa gen. mullahinsa genitive mullahinsa mullahiensa mullaheidensa mullaheittensa partitive mullahiaan mullahiansa mullaheitaan mullahejaan mullaheitansa mullahejansa inessive mullahissaan mullahissansa mullaheissaan mullaheissansa elative mullahistaan mullahistansa mullaheistaan mullaheistansa illative mullahiinsa mullaheihinsa adessive mullahillaan mullahillansa mullaheillaan mullaheillansa ablative mullahiltaan mullahiltansa mullaheiltaan mullaheiltansa allative mullahilleen mullahillensa mullaheilleen mullaheillensa essive mullahinaan mullahinansa mullaheinaan mullaheinansa translative mullahikseen mullahiksensa mullaheikseen mullaheiksensa abessive mullahittaan mullahittansa mullaheittaan mullaheittansa instructive — — comitative — mullaheineen mullaheinensa

Further reading

• “mullah”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

French

Noun

mullah m (plural mullahs)

1. alternative spelling of mollah