madrassa

noun
ma·​dras·​sa | \ mə-ˈdra-sə How to pronounce madrassa (audio) , -ˈdrä-\
variants: or madrasa or less commonly madrassah or madrasah

Definition of madrassa

: a Muslim school, college, or university that is often part of a mosque

Examples of madrassa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The remaining Rohingya children who attend neither UNICEF classes nor madrassas are simply left to fill their own day. Rubayat Jesmin, The Conversation, "Without school, a ‘lost generation’ of Rohingya refugee children face uncertain future," 24 July 2019 Forced to leave Afghanistan because of his agitation against the monarchy, which was eventually overthrown, Haqqani set up a madrassa in Miran Shah, in Pakistan’s North Waziristan. Kathy Gannon, The Seattle Times, "Death of Afghan group’s founder unlikely to weaken militants," 4 Sep. 2018 Noor’s madrassa was shut down, so Mr. Ahmed rallied parents to start a makeshift one nearby. Niharika Mandhana, WSJ, "‘All Our Lives They Wanted to Ruin Us.’ For Decades, Myanmar Sought to Drive Out Rohingya," 23 Nov. 2018 But madrassas are not the only source of Pakistan’s Islamic education. Madiha Afzal, Washington Post, "Malala is building more schools in Pakistan. That’s not likely to reduce support for extremism.," 7 Apr. 2018 Witnesses reached by telephone said the mosque was also a madrassa, or religious school, and that members of the Taliban had been present at the assembly, which had been organized to recognize graduates, appoint mullahs, and elevate junior mullahs. New York Times, BostonGlobe.com, "Afghan military strike kills at least 70 at mosque," 2 Apr. 2018 The Taliban claimed the strike hit a madrassa, or a religious school, during a graduation ceremony, killing dozens of civilians. Fox News, "Pakistan students pray for victims of airstrike in Kunduz," 11 Apr. 2018 Abdullah Qarloq, a senator from the district, said the Afghan military struck the Akhundzada Gojor madrassa, or religious school, during a graduation ceremony. Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, "Afghan air force faces criticism after reports that airstrike on Taliban target killed civilians," 3 Apr. 2018 All clerics are government vetted; all madrassas are government controlled and infiltrated by undercover informants. Julia Ioffe, The Atlantic, "Why Does Uzbekistan Export So Many Terrorists?," 1 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'madrassa.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of madrassa

1616, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for madrassa

Arabic madrasa

Keep scrolling for more