شاهراه

Persian

Etymology

From شاه (šâh, “king”) +‎ راه (râh, “road”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʃɑːh.ˈɾɑːh]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɑːɦ.ɾɑ́ːʱ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɑːɦ.ɾɑ́ːʱ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʃɑː.ɾɑ́ː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʃɔː.ɾɔ́ː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɒːɦ.ɹɒ́ːʰ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɔɦ.ɾɔ́ʱ]

Readings
Classical reading?	šāhrāh
Iranian reading?	šâhrâh
Tajik reading?	šohroh

Noun

شاهراه • (šâhrâh)

1. turnpike; superhighway; King's highway
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 38:

     یک کنیزک دید شه بر شاهراه
     شد غلام آن کنیزک جان شاه

     yak kanīzak dīd šah bar šāhrāh
     šud ğulām-i ān kanīzak jān-i šāh

     On the king's highway the king espied a handmaiden: the king was enthralled by her [lit. the king's soul became her slave].

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: şahrah
• → Middle Armenian: շահ ռահ (šah ṙah), շահռայ (šahṙay)
• → Old Georgian: შაჰრაჲ (šahray)
  • → Georgian: შარა (šara)
    • → Mingrelian: შარა (šara)
    • → Svan: შარა (šara)
• → Ottoman Turkish: شاهراه (şahrah)
  • Turkish: şahrah, şehrah
• → Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi script: ਸ਼ਾਹਰਾਹ (śāhrāh)

  Shahmukhi script: شاہراہ (śāhrāh)

• → Urdu: شاہراہ (śāhrāh)

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1977) “շահռահ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume III, Yerevan: University Press, page 486b
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892) “شاه راه”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul, page 727