shah
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
Shah did not respond to a request for comment.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Asia's huge chip sector "is more dominated by labour unions", Neil Shah, co-founder of Counterpoint Research, told AFP.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
In the case of Californian AI chip titan Nvidia -- now the world's most valuable company at more than $5 trillion -- many employees with stock options became millionaires very quickly, Shah said.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
Shah, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison at Bradford Crown Court earlier.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
She and Auntie Seema are the only people in the world who call me Shah.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
