king of kings

See also: King of Kings

English

Etymology

Attested in Middle English as king of kinges. An ancient formula which seems to have originated in a Semitic language of the Ancient Near East; see Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠𐭭 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (šāhān-šāh, “king of kings”) for more.

Noun

king of kings (plural kings of kings)

1. A king who has other kings as subjects; an emperor.

Hyponyms

• shahanshah

Translations

king who has other kings as subjects — see also shahanshah

• Akkadian: 𒈗𒊭𒈗𒈨𒌍 (šar šarrāni)
• Amharic: ንጉሠ ነገሥት (nəguśä nägäśt)
• Arabic: مَلِكُ الْمُلُوكِ m (maliku l-mulūki)
• Armenian: արքայից արքա (arkʻayicʻ arkʻa)

  Old Armenian: թագաւորաց թագաւոր (tʻagaworacʻ tʻagawor), արքայից արքայ (arkʻayicʻ arkʻay)

• Bengali: শাহেনশাহ (śahenośah)
• Bulgarian: цар на царете (car na carete)
• Catalan: rei de reis
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 萬王之王／万王之王 (wànwángzhīwáng)

• Czech: král králů
• Danish: kongernes konge
• Dutch: koning der koningen
• Finnish: kuningasten kuningas
• French: roi des rois
• German: König der Könige
• Greek: βασιλέας των βασιλέων (vasiléas ton vasiléon)

  Ancient Greek: βασιλεύς τῶν βασιλέων (basileús tôn basiléōn)

• Hebrew: מלך המלכים (mélekh ha-m'lakhím)
• Hindi: शहंशाह (hi) m (śahañśāh), शाहंशाह (hi) m (śāhañśāh), शहनशाह m (śahanśāh), सम्राट m (samrāṭ), चक्रवर्ती (hi) m (cakravartī), राजाधिराज (hi) m (rājādhirāj), महाराज (hi) m (mahārāj), महाराजा m (mahārājā)
• Hungarian: királyok királya
• Indonesian: rajadiraja
• Italian: re dei re
• Latin: rex regum
• Latvian: karaļu karalis
• Lithuanian: karalių karalius
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kongenes konge

• Persian: شاهنشاه (fa) (šâhanšâh)

  Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠𐭭 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (šāhān-šāh)

  Old Persian: 𐏋 𐏐 𐏋𐎠𐎴𐎠𐎶 (XŠ : XŠ-a-n-a-m)

• Polish: król królow
• Portuguese: rei dos reis
• Romanian: rege al regilor
• Russian: царь царе́й m (carʹ caréj)
• Sanskrit: राजाधिराज (sa) m (rājādhirāja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: краљ краљева

  Roman: kralj kraljeva

• Slovak: kráľ kráľov
• Spanish: rey de reyes
• Swedish: konungarnas konung
• Tagalog: hari ng mga hari
• Ukrainian: цар царів m (car cariv)
• Urdu: شہنشاہ (śehanśāh)

Proper noun

king of kings

1. The title of an individual king who has other kings as subjects; in particular:
   1. (Christianity) Jesus Christ.
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 17:14:

        These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.