minaret

/ˈmɪnəɹɛt/

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

minaret is pronounced /ˈmɪnəɹɛt/.

Why “minaret” is a great word

A tall, slender tower, typically part of a mosque, from which the muezzin issues the call to prayer. From French *minaret*, from Turkish *minare*, from Arabic *manārah* or *manār* ("lighthouse, beacon, minaret"), ultimately from *nār* ("fire"), first attested in English circa 1680. Unlike a steeple, which houses automated bells, or a turret, a fortified projection for defense, the minaret is architecture as human voice—vertical, deliberate, and solitary. It is the spiral staircase ascending toward dawn, the muezzin's silhouette against rose-colored light, and the adhan cascading over waking streets—a lighthouse of the voice, patient and expectant between calls, turning the darkness of sleep into the possibility of light.

noun

The tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque, from which the muezzin recites the adhan (call to prayer).e.g.“And in the background of the picture, just out of focus behind the man, was a soaring minaret outlined against a shockingly blue sky.”