# maulana

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #46,053

## Definitions
1. A religious scholar, especially in Central and South Asia.
2. A Muslim person in general, especially an extreme conservative.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Hindustani मौलाना (maulānā) / مَولَانَا (maulānā), from Classical Persian مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā), ultimately from Arabic مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā, “our lord”).
The Indian slang usage of the term for any Muslim person was derived from a stereotype, especially towards Muslims who look stereotypical (beard, robes, and skullcap).

## Easily confused with
- **Mulan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maulana-vs-mulan)
- **Malaya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/malaya-vs-maulana)
- **Malaga** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/malaga-vs-maulana)
- **Mariana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mariana-vs-maulana)

## Common misspellings (9)
`amulana`, `maluana`, `maualna`, `maulaan`, `maulanna`, `maullana`, `maulnaa`, `mmaulana`, `mualana`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/maulana