Definition of "ayatollah" []

• Islam A high-ranking Shiite religious authority regarded as worthy of imitation in matters of religious law and interpretation. (noun)
• Islam Used as a title for such a leader. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "His successor, Ali Khamenei, also a fighter against the shah rather than a religious authority, was hastily "promoted" to the title ayatollah in order to become supreme leader."
• "And a prime example of this would be Iran … The ayatollah is both the religious leader and the political leader."
• "And to call the ayatollah's words lame propaganda ignores the fact that it is so effective in rallying our enemies."