Dictionary

maulana en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈmaʊlənə/

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindustani मौलाना (maulānā) / مَولَانَا (maulānā), from Classical Persian مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā), ultimately from Arabic مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā, “our lord”). The Indian slang usage of the term for any Muslim person was derived from a stereotype, especially towards Muslims who look stereotypical (beard, robes, and skullcap).

Meanings

1. A religious scholar, especially in Central and South Asia.
   • At the end of his long and cantankerous life the maulana had gone against all his high principles. He had gone to a Boston hospital to look for health; he had at the very end entrusted himself to the skill and science of the civilization he had tried to shield his followers from. 1981, V. S. Naipaul, Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey, page 168:
2. (India, Internet, slur) A Muslim person in general, especially an extreme conservative.

Forms

Relateds

mawla · mullah · maulvi