ayatollah
noun
aya·tol·lah ˌī-ə-ˈtō-lə 
-ˈtä-
-ˈtä- -ˈtə-,
ˈī-ə-ˌtō-,
-ˌtä-,
-ˌtə-
: a religious leader among Shiite Muslims —used as a title of respect especially for one who is not an imam
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The move was a blow to al-Sadr, who despite harboring ambitions to be a religious authority lacks the scholarly credentials to be an ayatollah. 
Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022 The move was a blow to al-Sadr, who despite harboring ambitions to be a religious authority lacks the scholarly credentials to be an ayatollah. Qassim Abdul-zahra And Samya Kullab, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Aug. 2022 The ayatollah, who had an acute sensitivity to the zealous importation of Western ways into his homeland, tapped into a deep vein of Muslim pride and anger with his fatwa. Reuel Marc Gerecht, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022 The Satanic Verses were blasphemous, although the ayatollah reportedly never read the book. Harold Maass, The Week, 16 Aug. 2022 Last week, Hadi Matar nearly ended Mr. Rushdie’s life, seemingly in answer to the ayatollah’s call. Reza Pahlavi, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 The decree felt like something civilized people had left behind in the Middle Ages, but the ayatollah’s words tore around the modern world, inspiring riots, bombings and killings. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022 Taeb has been moved to an advisory role to the commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guard and not to Khamenei, which would have been more typical for one of the ayatollah’s close confidants. Ronen Bergman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 One of the highlights of the trip is Francis’ meeting with al-Sistani, the grand ayatollah whose 2014 fatwah calling on able-bodied men to fight ISIS swelled the ranks of Shiite militias that helped defeat the group. Fox News, 3 Mar. 2021 See More
Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022 The move was a blow to al-Sadr, who despite harboring ambitions to be a religious authority lacks the scholarly credentials to be an ayatollah. Qassim Abdul-zahra And Samya Kullab, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Aug. 2022 The ayatollah, who had an acute sensitivity to the zealous importation of Western ways into his homeland, tapped into a deep vein of Muslim pride and anger with his fatwa. Reuel Marc Gerecht, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022 The Satanic Verses were blasphemous, although the ayatollah reportedly never read the book. Harold Maass, The Week, 16 Aug. 2022 Last week, Hadi Matar nearly ended Mr. Rushdie’s life, seemingly in answer to the ayatollah’s call. Reza Pahlavi, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 The decree felt like something civilized people had left behind in the Middle Ages, but the ayatollah’s words tore around the modern world, inspiring riots, bombings and killings. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022 Taeb has been moved to an advisory role to the commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guard and not to Khamenei, which would have been more typical for one of the ayatollah’s close confidants. Ronen Bergman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 One of the highlights of the trip is Francis’ meeting with al-Sistani, the grand ayatollah whose 2014 fatwah calling on able-bodied men to fight ISIS swelled the ranks of Shiite militias that helped defeat the group. Fox News, 3 Mar. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Persian āyatollāh, literally, sign of God, from Arabic āyatallāh, from āya sign, miracle + allāh God
First Known Use
1950, in the meaning defined above