begum
/bəˈɡʌm/ verb, noun, proper noun
Forms begums begumming begummed Begun
- verb (transitive) To daub or cover with gum.
- noun a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia
- noun the form of address for such a woman
- proper noun A surname of Bengali usage
- noun An honorific title from Central and South Asia, often used by leading women in society.
Etymology
From be- + gum.
From Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum), from East Turkic begüm, from beg (a title of nobility in Iran, Central Asia and South Asia) + -um (feminine suffix for titles of nobility). Compare Classical Persian خانم (xānum).
Ultimately from Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Per., fr. Turk., perh. properly queen mother, fr. Turk. beg (see Beg, n.) + Ar. umm mother.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “begum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details