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Sultan vs Shah - What's the difference?

sultan | shah | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between sultan and shah

is that sultan is originally, a secular office, formally subordinate to -, but de facto the power behind the throne of the (theoretically universal) caliph while shah is a king of Persia or Iran.

As proper nouns the difference between sultan and shah

is that sultan is {{surname} while Shah is a common surname in India.

sultan

English

(wikipedia sultan)

Noun

  • Originally, a secular office, formally subordinate to -, but de facto the power behind the throne of the (theoretically universal) caliph.
  • A hereditary ruler in various Muslim states (sultanate), varying from petty principalities (as in Indonesia and in Yemen), often vassal of a greater ruler, to independent realms, such as Oman, Brunei, or an empire such as the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
  • (card games) A variant of solitaire, played with two decks of cards.
  • A breed of chicken originating in Turkey, kept primarily in gardens for ornamental reasons. See:

    • Derived terms

    * sultana * sultanate

    See also

    * sultana bird

    References

    ----

    shah

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * schah

    Noun

    (en noun) (wikipedia shah)
  • A king of Persia or Iran.
  • A supreme ruler in some Middle Eastern or South Asian nations.
    • Usage notes
    The wife of the last shah of Iran used the title shahbanu , which was translated as empress into English.
    Derived terms
    * shahdom * shahmukhi

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (Ukrainian shah) (en noun)
  • (historical) An Ukrainian monetary unit.

    • Anagrams

    * * English terms derived from Persian ----