shah
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- shahdom noun
Etymology
Origin of shah
1560–70; < Persian: king
Explanation
In Iran, an emperor or king was historically called a shah. The last shah was overthrown in 1979, during the Iranian Revolution. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, is often simply referred to as "the Shah." During his rule, he gave himself the title Shahanshah, or "king of kings." Shah has a Persian root, and the history of shahs goes all the way back to the Persian Empire in the sixth century BCE. Iran's last shah was exiled to Egypt during the Iranian Revolution, and the monarchy was officially abolished.
Vocabulary lists containing shah
Once There Was
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Only This Beautiful Moment
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran and pretender to the throne, was a scheduled speaker, and the event was packed with Iranian monarchists.
From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026
On Tuesday, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, urged people in Iran to obtain essential supplies as soon as possible and wait for what he called his "final call".
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
"The members of the Iranian Women's National Football Team are under significant pressure and ongoing threat from the Islamic Republic," said Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran.
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
Ruhollah Khomeini, the ayatollah who founded the Islamic Republic after the revolution overthrowing the shah in 1979, regarded passing power to a child as un-Islamic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
In 1606 the shah Abbas created the city of Jolfa and gave it to the Armenians, who were running from the Ottoman emperor because they were Christians.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
