noun
ayatollah
eye-uh-TOHL-uh
noun
1
A high-ranking religious leader and scholar in Shia Islam.
"The ayatollah issued a religious ruling on the matter."
2
Informally, anyone regarded as a rigid or authoritative expert on a subject.
"He acted like the ayatollah of office grammar, correcting everyone's emails."
How to Use Ayatollah
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA senior Shia Muslim religious scholar — used in English also as a jokey label for someone who acts like a strict authority.
Word Forms
ayatollahs plural
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Etymology
From Persian, ultimately from Arabic ayatu llahi, meaning "sign of God".