شاهراه

Persian

Etymology

From (šâh, “king”) +‎ (râh, “road”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ʃaːh.ˈɾaːh/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɑːɦ.ɾɑ́ːʱ]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʃɑː.ɾɑ́ː]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʃɔː.ɾɔ́ː]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɒːɦ.ɹɒ́ːʰ]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɔɦ.ɾɔ́ʱ]

Readings
Classical reading^?	šāhrāh
Dari reading^?	šāhrāh
Iranian reading^?	šâhrâh
Tajik reading^?	šohroh

Noun

شاهراه • (šâhrâh)

turnpike; superhighway; King's highway
- c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 38:
  یک کنیزک دید شه بر شاهراه
  شد غلام آن کنیزک جان شاه
  yak kanīzak dīd šah bar šāhrāh
  šud ġulām-i ān kanīzak jān-i šāh
  On the king's highway the king espied a handmaiden: the king was enthralled by her [lit. the king's soul became her slave].

Descendants

→ Azerbaijani: şahrah
→ Middle Armenian: շահ ռահ (šah ṙah), շահռայ (šahṙay)
→ Old Georgian: შაჰრაჲ (šahray)
- → Georgian: შარა (šara)
  - → Mingrelian: შარა (šara)
  - → Svan: შარა (šara)
→ Ottoman Turkish: شاهراه (şahrah)
- Turkish: şahrah, şehrah
→ Punjabi:
Gurmukhi script: ਸ਼ਾਹਰਾਹ (śāhrāh)

Shahmukhi script: شاہراہ (śāhrāh)
→ Urdu: شاہراہ (śāhrāh)

References

Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1977) “շահռահ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume III, Yerevan: University Press, page 486b
Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892) “شاه راه”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul, page 727