mufti

Where does the word "mufti" come from? It comes from Arabic mufti, passing through English before entering English (1816).

Mufti’s story begins in Arabic: mufti meant “Islamic legal scholar who issues rulings.” Active participle of afta, "to give a legal decision". By 1580s, the word had taken hold in English as muphtie. Borrowed to describe the official head of Islamic religious law. It reached English by 1816 as mufti. British army slang extended the word to "plain clothes," jokingly likening off-duty dress to a mufti's robes. Today, mufti means civilian clothes worn by someone who normally wears a uniform; historically, an Islamic legal scholar.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval mufti "Islamic legal scholar who issues rulings", active participle of afta, "to give a legal decision".
2. Stage 2 · English · 1580s muphtie "Muslim jurist", borrowed to describe the official head of Islamic religious law.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1816 mufti "civilian clothes worn instead of uniform", British army slang extended the word to "plain clothes," jokingly likening off-duty dress to a mufti's robes.