Rani
/ˈrɑːni/noun
A Hindu queen or princess; the wife of a raja, or a female ruler.
Did you know?In South Asian languages, *rani* is the feminine counterpart to *raja*, and both descend from an ancient Indo-European root tied to ruling and making things run.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃reǵ-
“to straighten, rule, or direct”
Proto-Indo-Iranian
PII
*raǵá-
“king, ruler”
Sanskrit
Sanskrit
rājñī
“queen, female ruler”
Middle Indo-Aryan
Prakrit
raṇī / rani
“queen, princess”
Modern English
English
rani
“a queen or princess in South Asian usage”