pharaoh

pharaoh — noun

1. the title used for a male ruler in ancient Egypt, and also the man who held that

1.nounC1
Definition

the title used for a male ruler in ancient Egypt, and also the man who held that power.

Example

In class, Mr. Lin showed us a gold mask of a young pharaoh.

countable noun after article

The villagers brought grain and flowers to the pharaoh's river palace.

possessive form: pharaoh's + noun

Common collocations
  • young pharaoh
  • powerful pharaoh
  • pharaoh's tomb
  • pharaoh's palace
  • obey the pharaoh
  • bury a pharaoh
Synonyms
  • king

    the closest general word, but it does not specifically point to ancient Egypt

  • ruler

    broader and more neutral; it can describe any person in control of a state

  • monarch

    more formal and system-focused, referring to hereditary rule

  • sovereign

    formal and often used in history or law for a supreme ruler

Grammar Patterns

the pharaoh

pharaoh's + noun

Pharaoh + name

Usage Note

Often written with a capital letter when it stands before a name, as in 'Pharaoh Ramses'. In ordinary reference, it usually takes 'the', and history writing often uses it for the office as well as the person.

Common Mistakes

He studied about pharaoh in school.
He studied a pharaoh in school.
use an article before the countable noun when you mean one ruler.
Pharaoh of Ramses built many temples.
Pharaoh Ramses built many temples.
the title goes directly before the ruler's name.

Word family

  • pharaonic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe a ruler, but they are not interchangeable. 'Pharaoh' is the historical title for the male rulers of ancient Egypt, so it gives a very specific time, place, and cultural setting. 'King' is the nearest everyday word and works for many countries and periods, but it loses that Egyptian link. 'Monarch' is more formal and talks about the system of rule as much as the person. 'Emperor' usually describes someone ruling a larger empire made up of several lands or peoples, so it sounds too broad for most Egyptian contexts. You can say 'a pharaoh was buried in the valley', 'the king met his army', 'the monarch addressed the nation', and 'the emperor ruled distant provinces'.

pharaoh ↗king ↗monarchemperor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • pharaoh's tomb
  • pharaoh's palace
  • pharaoh's army
  • young pharaoh

Phrases

  • the pharaoh
  • serve the pharaoh
  • Pharaoh + name
  • rule under a pharaoh

Prepositions

Etymology

Ancient EgyptianHebrewGreekLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English got this word through Greek, Latin, and French forms of an older name used in the ancient Near East. Its deepest source is an Egyptian expression meaning 'great house'. At first that expression referred to the royal court or palace, but over time it came to mean the ruler himself, which is the sense English still uses.