Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

minaret

/mɪnəˈɹɛt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.36 in modern English

Syllables: minaret
IPA: /mɪnəˈɹɛt/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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

Example Sentences

"And in the background of the picture, just out of focus behind the man, was a soaring minaret outlined against a shockingly blue sky."

Etymology

Etymology tree Arabic مَنَارَة (manāra)bor. Ottoman Turkish منارهbor. French minaretbor. English minaret First attested in 1682. Borrowed from French minaret, from Ottoman Turkish مناره (Turkish minare), from Arabic مَنَارَة (manāra, “lighthouse, minaret”). See note on pronunciations and borrowing of words with ـَة (-a). From the same Proto-Semitic root *nūr- (“light”) as menorah.

Origin

Source language: French
First known use: First attested in 1682

Word Breakdown

Root: minaret, مناره, مَنَارَة, -

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /mɪnəˈɹɛt/
British English: /ˈmɪnəɹɛt/

Inflected Forms

minarets (plural)

Derived Forms

minaretlike

Rhymes With

get let set yet met forget bet net debt et upset threat

Questions

How do you pronounce minaret?: The recorded pronunciation is /mɪnəˈɹɛt/.
What does minaret mean?: The tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque, from which the muezzin recites the adhan (call to prayer).
Where does minaret come from?: It is traced to French. First known use: First attested in 1682.

How to pronounce minaret

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “minaret”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/mɪnəˈɹɛt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “minaret”.
Repeat and practice — Say “minaret” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.