Etymology

maulana

M3A1U1L1A1N1A1

Today it means: A religious scholar, especially in Central and South Asia. Full definition →

Classical Persian مَوْلَانَا ← Arabic مَوْلَانَا
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The story

  1. Arabic · derived fromمَوْلَانَا“our lord”
  2. Classical Persian · derived fromمَوْلَانَا
  3. English todaymaulana

Borrowed from Hindustani मौलाना (maulānā) / مَولَانَا (maulānā), from Classical Persian مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā), ultimately from Arabic مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā, “our lord”). The Indian slang usage of the term for any Muslim person was derived from a stereotype, especially towards Muslims who look stereotypical (beard, robes, and skullcap).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.