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imam - 4 dictionary results

i⋅mam

  [i-mahm]
Use imam in a Sentence
–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  [i-mahm, i-mawm] .

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

Related forms:
i⋅mam⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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i·mam also I·mam   (ĭ-mäm')   
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.
  3. 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.
  5. Used as a title for an imam.

[Arabic 'imām, leader, imam, from 'amma, to go before, lead; see mm in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Imam

I*mam"\, Iman \I*man"\, Imaum \I*maum"\, n. [Ar. im[=a]m.]

1. Among the Mohammedans, a minister or priest who performs the regular service of the mosque.

2. A Mohammedan prince who, as a successor of Mohammed, unites in his person supreme spiritual and temporal power.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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imam 
1613, from Ar., lit. "leader," lit. "one who precedes," from amma "to go before, precede."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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