Definition:
Shah: A hereditary monarch of Persia or Iran.
The word "shah" was first used during the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 B.C.), and continued to be used until the fall of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1979.
A number of other languages have adopted the word "shah," and it is used as a last name in India.
"Shah" comes from the Old Persian word khshayathiya, meaning "king."
Pronunciation: "shah" or "shaw"
Examples:
"The word shahbanu, meaning 'lady,' has been used as the title for the wives of the shahs."
