minaret

Definition

The tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque, from which the muezzin recites the adhan (call to prayer).

Etymology

First attested in 1682. Borrowed from French minaret, from Ottoman Turkish مناره (Turkish minare), from Arabic مَنَارَة (manāra, “lighthouse”). See note on pronunciations and borrowing of words with ـَة (-a). From the same Proto-Semitic root *nūr- (“light”) as menorah.

Example Sentences

• "And in the background of the picture, just out of focus behind the man, was a soaring minaret outlined against a shockingly blue sky."