Pharaoh

[fair-oh, far-oh, fey-roh]

noun

a title of an ancient Egyptian king.

(lowercase) any person who uses power or authority to oppress others; tyrant.

Origin of Pharaoh

before 900; Middle English Pharao, Old English Pharaon < Latin pharaō < Greek pharaṓ (stem pharaōn-) < Hebrew phārʿōh < Egyptian pr house + ʿʾ great; originally a designation for the palace, but used to refer to the king from the time of Akhenaton (14th cent. b.c.); -h restored from Hebrew

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pharaohs

Contemporary Examples of pharaohs

During the time of the pharaohs, such funerary vessels were used to store the organs of the deceased.
7 Historically Significant Artifacts Rescued by Happenstance
The Daily Beast
October 24, 2014
One of the strongest theories suggests it may have emerged in Ethiopia during the time of the pharaohs.
Egypt’s Terrible FGM Death
Alastair Beach
June 13, 2013
They had slumbered in my drawer over the decades, like pharaohs snoozing in their tombs.
Never Before Seen Beatles Photos From 1964
Leslie Woodhead
April 24, 2013
When writing about his rise, British tabloids never failed to mention the pharaohs' ancient dynasties.
Hosni Mubarak's Final Tragedy
Christopher Dickey
February 13, 2011
My wife and I recently toured the tombs and temples of the Pharaohs along the Upper Nile.
Chris Matthews on the Buckley Mystique
Chris Matthews
May 3, 2009

Historical Examples of pharaohs

Long before the Pharaohs she was petted, and even held sacred.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 20, August 1877
Various
The religion of Rome is called in these verses "the Faith of the Pharaohs."
Henry of Monmouth, Volume 2
J. Endell Tyler
Philosophers as well as immemorial kings, Pharaohs and Ptolemys, are on our side.
The Library
Andrew Lang
It certainly was before the Pharaohs and perhaps before the glacial epoch.
Folkways
William Graham Sumner
Would they wed and bear children there, who should rule as Pharaohs in the Under-world?
Morning Star
H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for pharaohs

Pharaoh

noun

the title of the ancient Egyptian kings

Derived FormsPharaonic (fɛəˈrɒnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for Pharaoh

Old English Pharaon, via Latin, Greek, and Hebrew ultimately from Egyptian pr-`o great house

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pharaohs

pharaoh

title of the kings of ancient Egypt, Old English Pharon, from Latin Pharaonem, from Greek Pharao, from Hebrew Par'oh, from Egyptian Pero', literally "great house."

pharaohs in Culture

pharaohs

[(fair-ohz, fay-rohz)]

The kings of ancient Egypt (see also Egypt). The pharaohs headed strong governments. They are remembered for establishing extensive irrigation systems and for building as tombs the imposing pyramids, which still stand today.

Note

In the biblical account of the Exodus, a pharaoh refused to let the Israelites under Moses leave Egypt.

pharaoh

[(fair-oh, fay-roh)]

The title of the kings of ancient Egypt (see also Egypt). In the story of Joseph and his brothers, a pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of his entire kingdom. In the Book of Exodus, a pharaoh repeatedly refuses the request of Moses to let the Israelites leave the country and does not give in until after the worst of the ten plagues of Egypt.