English edit

Etymology edit

From Urdu مولوی (maulvi), and its source, Classical Persian مولوی (mawlawī), noun use of Arabic مَوْلَوِيّ (mawlawiyy, of a lord or master), ultimately from مَوْلًى (mawlan, master). Compare mullah, maulana.

Noun edit

maulvi (plural maulvis)

  1. An imam; a Muslim doctor of law.
  2. (loosely, chiefly South Asia) Any man of learning; a scholar, a teacher of Classical languages.
    • 2004, Khushwant Singh, Burial at Sea, Penguin, published 2014, page 10:
      He had a maulvi and a pandit to teach him Urdu and Hindi.

Anagrams edit