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DictionaryshahIranian monarch
noun

shah

SHAH/ʃɑː/

A title formerly used for a king of Iran or Persia.

The shah sits in formal Persian court clothing before his attendants.

A dignified Persian shah seated in historically plausible seventeenth-century Safavid court clothing and jeweled turban, royal attendants unobtrusive; no European crown or fantasy armor.
Etymology
shahOld Persianking

The ancestor meant “king,” and the Persian title likewise designated the ruler of a land. English uses it specifically for the monarch of Persia or Iran.

In context

Johnny Harris10:43
The previous ruler of Iran, Mohammed Reza Shah, which just means "King," had fled the country.
American-Backed Coups, Mapped

More examples

  • The shah ruled Persia from his palace.
  • Several shahs expanded the empire through military campaigns.
  • She is reading a biography of Iran's last shah.

Forms

shah · shahs

Similar words

king
A general title for a male ruler of a kingdom.
monarch
A sovereign ruler, whether a king or a queen.