a lofty, often slender, tower or turret attached to a mosque, surrounded by or furnished with one or more balconies, from which the muezzin calls the people to prayer.
Origin: 1675–85; < F minaret, Sp minarete, or It minaretto ≪ Ar manārah lighthouse, perh. akin to nār fire
1682, from Fr. minaret, from Turk. minare, from Arabic manarah, manarat "lamp, lighthouse, minaret," related to manar "candlestick," derivative of nar "fire."
[min-uh-ret, min-uh-ret] 
