i·mam also I·mam (?-mäm?)n. Islam 1. a. In law and theology, the caliph who is successor to Muhammad as the lawful temporal leader of the Islamic community.b. The male prayer leader in a mosque.c. The Muslim worshiper who leads the recitation of prayer when two or more worshipers are present.2. In Twelver Shia belief, any of 12 descendants of Muhammad regarded as divinely appointed spiritual and temporal leaders.3. A ruler claiming descent from Muhammad and exercising authority in an Islamic state.4. a. Any of the founders of the four schools of law and theology.b. An authoritative scholar who founds a school of law or theology.5. Used as a title for an imam.[Arabic ‘im?m, leader, imam, from ‘amma, to go before, lead; see ?mm in Semitic roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.imam (??m??m) or imaumn1. (Islam) a leader of congregational prayer in a mosque2. (Islam) a caliph, as leader of a Muslim community3. (Islam) an honorific title applied to eminent doctors of Islam, such as the founders of the orthodox schools4. (Islam) any of a succession of either seven or twelve religious leaders of the Shiites, regarded by their followers as divinely inspired[C17: from Arabic: leader, from amma he guided]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014i?mam (??m?m) also i?maum (??m?m, ??m?m) n. 1. the officiating priest of a mosque. 2. the title for a Muslim leader or chief. 3. one of a succession of seven or twelve religious leaders, believed to be divinely inspired, of the Shi?ites. [1605?15;