Sultana
/sʌlˈtɑːnə/noun
A female ruler or the wife of a sultan; also, a seedless raisin of a light golden color.
Did you know?The “raisin” sense of *sultana* likely comes from the Ottoman Turkish association with the Sultan’s favored golden grapes, while the ruler-title sense ultimately traces back to Arabic *sulṭān*—authority, power, sovereignty.
Etymological Timeline
Arabic
Arabic
sulṭān
“authority, power, sovereign rule”
Medieval Persian
Persian
sultān
“a ruler or sovereign”
Ottoman Turkish
Turkish
sultānā
“a female sultan; a woman of the sultan’s household”
17th Century
English
sultana
“a female sultan or the wife/consort of a sultan”
18th Century
English
sultana
“a seedless raisin, especially a pale golden one”
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