ma·dra·sa or ma·dra·sah also ma·dras·sah (m?-drä?s?)n. Islam 1. An institution for the study of Islamic theology and religious law.2. The buildings and grounds of such an institution, typically attached to a mosque.[Arabic, school, from darasa, to study; see dr? 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.madrasah (m??dræs?; ?m??dræs?) or madrasa; medrese (m??dr?se?) n (Islam) Islam an educational institution, particularly for Islamic religious instruction[from Arabic, literally: place of learning]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014