name
Meaning 1
A surname of Bengali usage
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
begum
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈbeɪɡəm/
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/ˈbɛɡəm/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛɡəm
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/bəˈɡʌm/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʌm
noun
Meaning 2
a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
the form of address for such a woman
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
An honorific title from Central and South Asia, often used by leading women in society.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To daub or cover with gum.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a Muslim woman of high rank in India or Pakistan
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Muslim, Moslem, lady
History
Etymology
Ultimately from Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum).
From Classical Persian بیگم (bēgum), from East Turkic begüm, from beg (a title of nobility in Iran, Central Asia and South Asia) + -um (feminine suffix for titles of nobility). Compare Classical Persian خانم (xānum).
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epider. Proto-Indo-European *h1pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English bi- English be- English gum English begum From be- + gum.
Across languages
Translations
13 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: بيكُم (bēgum) — a high ranking woman
- Azerbaijani: bəyim — a high ranking woman
- Bengali: বেগম (begom) — a high ranking woman
- German: Begum — a high ranking woman
- Hindi: बेगम (begam) — a high ranking woman
- Persian: بیگم (beygom) — a high ranking woman
- Russian: бе́гума (béguma) — a high ranking woman
- Swedish: begum — a high ranking woman
- Telugu: బేగం (bēgaṁ) — a high ranking woman
- Turkish: begüm — a high ranking woman
- Ottoman Turkish: بیگم (begüm) — a high ranking woman
- Urdu: بیگَم (begam) — a high ranking woman
- Uzbek: begim — a high ranking woman