Pharaoh Means the Great House
A pharaoh was a ruler of ancient Egypt. The title originally referred to the royal palace, not the person living in it.
A pharaoh was the ruler of ancient Egypt. The word is Egyptian *per-aa*, meaning great house — the palace itself. Referring to the ruler by the building was a courtesy, exactly as the White House or Downing Street stand for governments today, and over centuries the name of the house became the title of the king.
- A ruler of ancient Egypt. *The pharaoh's tomb.*
- Pharaonic — of the pharaohs, or vast in scale. *A pharaonic building project.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pharaoh | A young pharaoh. |
| Plural | pharaohs | Successive pharaohs. |
| Adjective | pharaonic | Pharaonic Egypt. |
| Related | dynasty | The Eighteenth Dynasty. |
| Related | cartouche | A royal cartouche. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The pharaoh was buried with grave goods.Standard practice for royal burials.
- Hatshepsut ruled as pharaoh for two decades.One of several women to hold the title.
- The scheme was pharaonic in ambition.Meaning enormous.
Egyptian terms in English
- Cartouche — the oval enclosing a royal name
- Hieroglyph — sacred carving, the Greek description
- Sarcophagus — from Greek for flesh-eating stone
- Obelisk — a tapering stone pillar
- Ankh — the looped cross symbolising life
From Egyptian *per-aa*, great house, through Hebrew and Greek into English. The title was used for the ruler himself from about the New Kingdom onward.
Were there female pharaohs?
Yes. Hatshepsut, Sobekneferu and Cleopatra VII among others ruled in their own right, though the title itself was masculine.
How is it pronounced?
FAIR-oh in most English varieties. The unusual spelling comes from the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew form.