ayatollah

ayatollah Definition

aya·tol·lah (ī′yə tō′lə, -tō lä′; -ä′yä-)

noun

a leader of the Shiite sect of the Muslim religion, serving as teacher, judge, and administrator
a leader, authority, etc. having much power or influence

Etymology: Ar, lit., sign of God < āyat, sign + Allah, Allah

ayatollah Usage Examples

Converse of object

do: Gareth Ainsworth was popular too for doing the ayatollah, Richard Langley wasn't.

Adjective modifier

Iranian: Military dictatorship and pronouncements of Iranian ayatollahs are not supported by Islamic values.
grand: In a telling incident, after the grand ayatollah agreed to an interview, his aide called back.

Ayatollah Quotes

I thought using the Ayatollah's money to support the Nicaraguan resistancewas a neat idea.

—North, Oliver

I'm the Ayatollah Khomeini of Serbia. The Serbs will follow me no matter what!

—Milosevic, Slobodan

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