shogun

Where does the word "shogun" come from? It comes from Japanese shogun, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Shogun’s story begins in Japanese: shogun meant “a military commander-in-chief.” Short for a longer title meaning barbarian-subduing general, Japan's military ruler. It reached English by 1800s as shogun. Japanese 'army commander'; the Tokugawa shogunate ruled from 1603 to 1868. Today, shogun means the historical hereditary military ruler of Japan.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · medieval shogun "a military commander-in-chief", short for a longer title meaning barbarian-subduing general, Japan's military ruler.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s shogun "the hereditary military ruler of medieval Japan", Japanese 'army commander'; the Tokugawa shogunate ruled from 1603 to 1868.