syah

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay syah, from Persian شاه (šâh, “shah”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, “king”), from Proto-Iranian *xšáyati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati (“he rules, he has power over”), from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to gain power over, gain control over”). Doublet of cek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃah/
• Hyphenation: syah

Noun

syah

1. king:
   1. (archaic) a male monarch; a man who heads a monarchy. If it is an absolute monarchy, then he is the supreme ruler of his nation.

      Synonym: raja

   2. (chess, obsolete) the principal chess piece, that players seek to threaten with unavoidable capture to result in a victory by checkmate. It is often the tallest piece, with a symbolic crown with a cross at the top.

      Synonym: raja

2. shah

Alternative forms

• sah

Derived terms

• syah alam
• syahbandar

 

Further reading

• “syah” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.