maulvi

[ moul-vee ]

noun

1. (in India) an expert in Islamic law: used especially as a term of respectful address among Muslims.

Word History and Origins

Origin of maulvi¹

First recorded in 1770–80; from Hindi, Urdu maulvī, from Persian mawlavī, from Arabic mawlawī, equivalent to mawlā “lord, master” + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; mullah

Example Sentences

Toddlers clutched smaller white Taliban flags with a photo of the Defense Minister Maulvi Mohammad Yaqoob on the bottom right corner.

From Seattle Times

Mourners were attending the funeral of Maulvi Ahmadi, the Taliban deputy governor of Badakhshan, who was killed on his way to work on Tuesday.

From BBC

Egeland met the Kandahar deputy governor, Maulvi Hayatullah Mubarak, who he described as having “direct contact with and links” to the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who ordered the education and NGO bans.

From Washington Times

A statement from Kandahar's information office said Deputy Governor Maulvi Hayatullah Mubarak had conveyed to Mohammed that the Taliban administration wanted to have a strong relationship with the world and asked that its leaders be removed from sanctions lists and its administration able to send a representative to the U.N.

From Reuters

Mission in Afghanistan, Potzel Markus, met Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanafi in the capital Kabul to discuss the ban, as well as other measures including barring women from universities.

From Seattle Times