What is "madrasah"

Islamic college, 1620s, from Arabic madrasah, literally "a place of study," from locative prefix ma- + stem of darasa "he read repeatedly, he studied," which is related to Hebrew darash (compare midrash).

n. (context Islam English) A school for any kind of teaching, at any grade level. It may have courses in Islamic theology and religious law, but it is not a requirement.

n. Muslim schools in Bangladesh and Pakistan; "the Pakistan government decided to close down madrasas that provided military training for their students"; "many madrasas in Bangladesh are supported with money from Saudi Arabia" [syn: madrasa]