[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/shah/)

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# shah

noun (a shah, shahs; the Shah)

«shah» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. The title of the king of Iran (Persia) in the past. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#m1)
2. A title used by some rulers in other lands such as Afghanistan and in old India. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#m2)
3. (a name) Shah is also a common family name in South Asia. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#m3)

### In the lessons

In history lessons the shah was the monarch of Persia (now Iran); the last shah left in the Iranian revolution and Iran became an Islamic republic. In stories set in the old East a shah is like a king or emperor. In chess, the word "check" and "checkmate" come from Persian "shah" and "shah mat" (the king is helpless).

### Examples

- The Shah of Iran ruled from a palace in Tehran. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#x1)
- The last shah left Iran during a revolution. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#x2)
- In the old Persian story, the shah listened to a thousand tales. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#x3)
- "Checkmate" comes from Persian words meaning "the shah is helpless". [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#x4)
- Our new classmate's surname is Shah. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#x5)
- The shah wore a jewelled crown. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/#x6)

### Note

Countable: a shah, shahs. Capital S as a title (the Shah). The queen or wife of a shah was called the shahbanu or empress. Do not confuse with "Shia" or "sharp"; as a surname it is a name, not a title.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «shah» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shah/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«shah» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/shah.html) on Mova free.