Pharaoh
[ fair-oh, far-oh, fey-roh ]
/ ˈfɛər oʊ, ˈfær oʊ, ˈfeɪ roʊ /
noun
a title of an ancient Egyptian king.
(lowercase)
any person who uses power or authority to oppress others; tyrant.
Origin of Pharaoh
before 900; Middle English
Pharao, Old English
Pharaon < Latin
pharaō < Greek
pharaṓ (stem
pharaōn-) < Hebrew
phārʿōh < Egyptian
pr house +
ʿʾ great; originally a designation for the palace, but used to refer to the king from the time of Akhenaton (14th cent. b.c.);
-h restored from Hebrew
Example sentences from the Web for pharaoh
British Dictionary definitions for pharaoh
Pharaoh
/ (ˈfɛərəʊ) /
noun
the title of the ancient Egyptian kings
Derived forms of Pharaoh
Pharaonic (fɛəˈrɒnɪk), adjectiveWord Origin for Pharaoh
Old English
Pharaon, via Latin, Greek, and Hebrew ultimately from Egyptian
pr-`o great house
Cultural definitions for pharaoh
pharaoh
[ (fair-oh, fay-roh) ]
The title of the kings of ancient Egypt (see also Egypt). In the story of Joseph and his brothers, a pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of his entire kingdom. In the Book of Exodus, a pharaoh repeatedly refuses the request of Moses to let the Israelites leave the country and does not give in until after the worst of the ten plagues of Egypt.