Shah
/ʃɑː/noun
A title for a monarch, especially the ruler of Iran.
Did you know?*Shah* comes from Old Persian *xšāyaθiya* “king,” the same royal root behind *satrap* and the grand imperial language of Achaemenid Persia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱsē-
“to rule, to be strong”
Old Persian
OP
xšāyaθiya
“king, ruler”
Middle Persian
MP
šāh
“king”
Persian / Arabic
FA/AR
shāh
“king, emperor”
Modern English
EN
shah
“a monarch, especially of Iran”