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pasha

pasha

5 9.9
A senior government or army official in the Ottoman Empire
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːʃə/
translation icon : pasha
  • And Enver Pasha would never be the man to leave those who lived.

Examples

  • "I knew my friend the Pasha's opinion of the Egyptians and his contempt for them.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The reason for the transformation was Muhammad Ali Pasha's ambition to create a modern Egyptian monarchy.

    Academic text (2010)
  • His father... his father's a great pasha.

  • We are together, Hani Pasha, in this House of War, yes.

  • Some of the pashas, jealous of their power, hope that it will.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Out of gratitude, the pasha gave him the Mameluke sword.

  • The Grand Vizier Mustafa Pasha led the attack.

  • Mr. Myers, I am Faruk Pasha, commander of this region.

  • Directed by capable administrators like Ibrahim Pasha and Ali Mubarak Pasha, Egypt's cultural development forged ahead.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The pasha issued a decree to improve trade relations in the region.

Synonyms

pacha
vspasha
  • Archaic
9.9

A high-ranking official in the Ottoman Empire, often a government or army leader in Turkey and Egypt

is the same title but appears as an alternative spelling in some sources
bashaw
vspasha
  • Archaic
9.9

A high-ranking Turkish official who governed a province in the Ottoman Empire

is the standard term used without implying obsolete or historical status

Surface Forms

pasha singular
pashas plural

Etymology

The word pasha was the title for a powerful official in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. It probably comes from Persian padishah meaning 'master' or from Turkish baş meaning 'head', so a pasha was literally a 'head' or 'master' who ruled a region.