In historical terms the difference between tsar and shah
is that tsar is an emperor of Russia (before 1917) and of some South Slavic kingdoms while shah is an Ukrainian monetary unit.
As a proper noun Shah is
a common surname in India.
tsar
Alternative forms
* czar, tzar, csar
Noun
(
en noun)
(historical) An emperor of Russia (before 1917) and of some South Slavic kingdoms.
(figuratively) A person with great power; an autocrat.
(informal, politics, US) An appointed official tasked to regulate or oversee a specific area.
Usage notes
* (emperor of Russia) Officially, emperors after 1721 were styled imperator (); however, the latter is commonly applied to them as well.
Derived terms
* tsardom
* tsarian
* tsarism
* tsarist
Related terms
* csar
* czar
* tsarina
* tsaritsa
* tsarevna
* tsarevich
* tzar
Usage notes
* Although commonly believed to mean specifically a Russian emperor, this is not necessarily the case.
* The spelling (m) is the most common one in the US, especially in the figurative and informal senses. Scholarly literature prefers tsar .
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.
