Literally means "a school". Also used to refer to a religious school.
a college for higher studies where the Islamic sciences are taught. In the past, the madrasah was devoted primarily to teaching law, and the other Islamic sciences and literary philosophical subjects were optionally taught. Today, however, the designation madrasah is ambiguous. Although originally the madrasah was created as an institution of Islamic higher learning in contrast to the kuttab or maktab, the children's schools in the Middle East, currently the term madrasah is sometimes used for establishments for elementary teaching of Qur'ânic knowledge.
Madrasah (Arabic: مدرسة) is the Arabic word for any type of school, secular or religious (of any religion). It is variously transliterated as madrasah, madrash, medresa, madreseh, madrassa, medrusha, or madressa.