akhund

plural akhunds

1. historicalA spiritual leader in Persia, parts of Central Asia and Xinjiang, China.

   Yet Sayyid Akbar was a weak ruler and produced no capable heirs, at least in the opinion of the Akhund.

   2007, Sana Haroon, Frontier of Faith, Columbia University Press, page 41

   2 more examples

   The Akhund of Swat, conscious of past deeds deserving of retribution, evidently conceived objects on our part beyond the punishment of the immediate offenders on the Black Mountain.

   1874, William Henry Paget, A Record of the Expeditions Undertaken against the North-west Frontier Tribes

   He was Khiva's akhund, or spiritual leader, who reminded the Khan that his victory had been won through treachery, and warned him that butchering the prisoners would merely worsen the crime in the eyes of God.

   1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 20

2. colloquialCentral Asia or XinjiangUyghur; Dungan; Hui Muslim