ulema
/ˈʊləmə/ noun
Forms ulama ‘ulama’ olema
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish علما (ulemâ), from Arabic عُلَمَاء (ʕulamāʔ, plural of عَالِم (ʕālim, “learned one”)). Doublet of ulama and olema.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A college or corporation in Turkey composed of the hierarchy, namely, the imams, or ministers of religion, the muftis, or doctors of law, and the cadis, or administrators of justice.
Etymology [Ar. 'ulema the wise or learned men, pl. of 'alim wise, learned, fr. alima to know.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ulema”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details