*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of shah

Borrowed from Persian شاه (šâh), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (MLKA /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/). Doublet of check and kshatriya. More at chess.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A king of Persia or Iran. · A supreme ruler in some West Asian, Central Asian or South Asian nations.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Persian شاه (šâh), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (MLKA /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/). Doublet of check and kshatriya. More at chess.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*tek-",
        "id": "receive"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa",
        "3": "شاه",
        "tr": "šâh"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Persian شاه (šâh)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pal",
        "3": "𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠",
        "tr": "MLKA",
        "ts": "šāh",
        "sc": "Phli"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (MLKA /⁠šāh⁠/)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peo",
        "3": "𐏋",
        "ts": "xšāyaθiya",
        "sc": "Xpeo"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "check",
        "3": "kshatriya"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of check and kshatriya"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "شاه",
      "شاه#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠",
      "𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠#Middle_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "𐏋",
      "𐏋#Old_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "check",
      "check#English"
    ],
    [
      "kshatriya",
      "kshatriya#English"
    ],
    [
      "chess",
      "chess"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A king of Persia or Iran.",
        "A supreme ruler in some West Asian, Central Asian or South Asian nations."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e3c362337b599e359a1e28414d821ac3d31d2c3852dbee06a85b3014df716872",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6d493a32cc63712a09e20e161718848402ad9a0e0869ad034cc601ef5719d291",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 184992
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A Ukrainian monetary unit.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Ukrainian шаг (šah).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "uk:шаг",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ukrainian\", \"term\" : \"шаг\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"uk\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"shah\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"shah\">\nBorrowed from Ukrainian шаг (šah)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "uk:шаг",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Ukrainian шаг (šah)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "шаг",
      "шаг#Ukrainian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Ukrainian monetary unit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "2a197097fe46d217b8a97736fbc7fe611d939bb905446f272ae7d4568b640dd7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 184993
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for shah →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2hhaA