Imam - Definitions from Dictionary.com

6 results for: Imam

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

i·mam

Audio Help [i-mahm] Pronunciation Key

–noun Islam.

1.	the officiating priest of a mosque.

2.	the title for a Muslim religious leader or chief.

3.	one of a succession of seven or twelve religious leaders, believed to be divinely inspired, of the Shiʿites.

Also, i·maum

Audio Help [i-mahm, i-mawm] Pronunciation Key.

[Origin: 1605–15; < Ar imām leader, guide

]

—Related forms

i·mam·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Imam

To learn more about Imam visit Britannica.com

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

i·mam also I·mam Audio Help (ĭ-mäm') Pronunciation Key
n. Islam

1. In law and theology, the caliph who is successor to Muhammad as the lawful temporal leader of the Islamic community.
2. The male prayer leader in a mosque.
3. The Muslim worshiper who leads the recitation of prayer when two or more worshipers are present.
4. A male spiritual and temporal leader regarded by Shiites as a descendant of Muhammad divinely appointed to guide humans.
5. An earthly representative of the 12 such leaders recognized by the majority form of Shiism.
6. Any one of the founders of the four schools of law and theology.
7. An authoritative scholar who founds a school of law or theology.
1. A male spiritual and temporal leader regarded by Shiites as a descendant of Muhammad divinely appointed to guide humans.
2. An earthly representative of the 12 such leaders recognized by the majority form of Shiism.
3. Any one of the founders of the four schools of law and theology.
4. An authoritative scholar who founds a school of law or theology.
A ruler claiming descent from Muhammad and exercising authority in an Islamic state.
1. Any one of the founders of the four schools of law and theology.
2. An authoritative scholar who founds a school of law or theology.
Used as a title for an imam.

[Arabic 'imām, leader, imam, from 'amma, to go before, lead; see mm in Semitic roots.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
imam

1613, from Ar., lit. "leader," lit. "one who precedes," from amma "to go before, precede."

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

imam
noun
(Islam) the man who leads prayers in a mosque; for Shiites an imam is a recognized authority on Islamic theology and law and a spiritual guide