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mufti
Arabic · medieval
"Islamic legal scholar who issues rulings"
active participle of afta, "to give a legal decision"
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Stage 2 of 3
muphtie
English · 1580s
"Muslim jurist"
borrowed to describe the official head of Islamic religious law
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Stage 3 of 3
mufti
English · 1816
"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
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