pharaoh

Where does the word "pharaoh" come from? It comes from Egyptian pr-ʿꜣ, passing through Greek before entering English (1000s).

Pharaoh’s story begins in Egyptian: pr-ʿꜣ meant “great house.” Egyptian: the royal palace, then the king himself. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Greek as pharaō. Used in the Greek Bible for Egypt's kings. It reached English by 1000s as pharaoh. The Old English form was 'Pharon'. Today, pharaoh means an ancient Egyptian king.

1. Stage 1 · Egyptian · ancient pr-ʿꜣ "great house", Egyptian: the royal palace, then the king himself.
2. Stage 2 · Greek · ancient pharaō "pharaoh", used in the Greek Bible for Egypt's kings.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1000s pharaoh "Egyptian king", the Old English form was 'Pharon'.