Kho·mei·ni  (kō-mā'nē, KHō-, KHô'mā-nē')  Iranian Shiite leader and head of state (1979-1989). Arrested (1963) and exiled (1964) for his opposition to Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi's regime, he returned to Iran on the shah's downfall (1979) and established a new constitution giving himself supreme powers. His reign was marked by a return to strict observance of the Islamic code. |
| ruholla khomeini | |
noun | |
| Iranian religious leader of the Shiites; when Shah Pahlavi's regime fell Khomeini established a new constitution giving himself supreme powers (1900-1989) [syn: Khomeini] |