Sultanism
/ˈsʌltənɪzəm/noun
Rule or behavior characteristic of a sultan; by extension, a political system marked by highly personal, arbitrary authority.
Did you know?The word is tied to the title *sultan*, which entered English through Arabic and Persian from a root meaning “authority” or “power,” so the term literally carries the aura of sovereign force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
PS
*šalṭān-
“authority, power, rule”
Arabic
AR
sulṭān
“authority, power; sovereign ruler”
Persian
FA
solṭān
“ruler, kingly authority”
Middle English
EN
sultan
“a Muslim sovereign or ruler”
19th Century
EN
sultanism
“rule or conduct resembling that of a sultan; autocratic domination”
Modern English
EN
sultanism
“a system of government or behavior marked by arbitrary, highly personal rule”