Persian

Noun

آخوند • ‎(âkhund, âkhond)

1. (now pejorative, particularly in Iran) An akhoond or mullah, i.e. an Islamic scholar or cleric.

Usage notes

• In Iran, though not necessarily in other countries, this word is now used almost exclusively as a term of derision. It has been so used by clerics themselves to mark other clerics as backward or unlearned, but it is most often heard from those who are critical of the Shiite clergy and/or the Iranian revolution.

Derived terms

• آخوندک ‎(âkhundak)