pasha
UK /ˈpæʃə/ · US /ˈpɑʃə/ noun, proper noun
Forms pashas pascha bashaw bassa
- noun (historical) A high-ranking Turkish military officer, especially as a commander or regional governor; the highest honorary title during the Ottoman Empire.
- noun The Indian butterfly Herona marathus, family Nymphalidae.
- noun (historical) A high rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitaries, and others.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A transliteration of the Russian or Ukrainian male given name diminutive Па́ша (Páša).
Synonyms
Etymology
From Ottoman Turkish پاشا (pāšā) (Turkish paşa); this either from Persian پادشاه (pâdšâh, “padishah, king”), or from Ottoman Turkish باش (baş, “head”), or from Ottoman Turkish بچه (beççe, “male offspring”), this in turn from Persian بچّه (bačče). Ottoman Turkish باش (baş, “head”) + آغا (ağa, “master”) has also been proposed as etymon.
* As an Islamic surname (generally the Indian subcontinent), honorific title from Turkish paşa. This is also found in Albania, Turkey and Slavic countries. Compare Basha, Bey.
* As an English surname, variant of Pasher, itself Anglicized from French Perchard, a suffixed form of Old French perche (“pole”), from Latin pertica.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An honorary title given to officers of high rank in Turkey, as to governers of provinces, military commanders, etc. The earlier form was bashaw. [Written also pacha.]
Etymology [Turk. pasha, basha; cf. Per. basha, badshah; perh. a corruption of Per. padishah. Cf. Bashaw, Padishah, Shah.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pasha”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details