Word
shah
Phoneticsshah
US/ˈʃɑ/
UK/ʃˈɑː/
Definitions
01monarch of Iran
n. the title of the king who ruled Iran until 1979.
n. the title of the former hereditary monarch of Iran, specifically referring to the Pahlavi dynasty in modern historical contexts.
“The last Shah of Iran left the country during the revolution in 1979.”
“Historical accounts of the mid-twentieth century often focus on the geopolitical alliances formed by the Shah before the revolution.”
Formal
02historical Asian ruler
n. a title for a king or supreme ruler in some other Asian countries in the past.
n. a title for a supreme ruler or sovereign in various historical West Asian, Central Asian, or South Asian polities.
“Ancient texts describe the power held by the local shah over the valley.”
“The regional shah maintained a degree of autonomy from the central empire through strategic marriage alliances and tribute payments.”
Archaic · Formal
Etymology
Two main origins: * Borrowed from Persian شاه (“shah, king”), a Persian surname which is widespread in Iran and in the subcontinent. * Borrowed from Gujarati સાહ (sāh, “merchant”), an occupational surname from Sanskrit साधु (sādhu, “merchant; jeweller; money-lender”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/shah