Word Study
begum
CIDE DICTIONARY
begum, n. [Per., fr. Turk., perh. properly queen mother, fr. Turk. beg (see Beg, n. ) + Ar. umm mother.].
In the East Indies, a princess or lady of high rank. Malcom. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
begum, n. in the Indian subcontinent:
1 a Muslim lady of high rank.
2 (Begum) the title of a married Muslim woman, equivalent to Mrs.
1 a Muslim lady of high rank.
2 (Begum) the title of a married Muslim woman, equivalent to Mrs.
Etymology
Urdu begam f. E.Turk. bigam princess, fem. of big prince: cf. BEY
ROGET THESAURUS
begum
Nobility
N nobility, rank, condition, distinction, optimacy, blood, pur sang, birth, high descent, order, quality, gentility, blue blood of Castile, ancien regime, high life, haute monde, upper classes, upper ten thousand, the four hundred, elite, aristocracy, great folks, fashionable world, peer, peerage, house of lords, house of peers, lords, lords temporal and spiritual, noblesse, noble, nobleman, lord, lordling, grandee, magnifico, hidalgo, daimio, daimyo, samurai, shizoku, don, donship, aristocrat, swell, three- tailed bashaw, gentleman, squire, squireen, patrician, laureate, gentry, gentlefolk, squirarchy, better sort magnates, primates, optimates, pantisocracy, king, atheling, prince, duke, marquis, marquisate, earl, viscount, baron, thane, banneret, baronet, baronetcy, knight, knighthood, count, armiger, laird, signior, seignior, esquire, boyar, margrave, vavasour, emir, ameer, scherif, sharif, effendi, wali, sahib, chevalier, maharaja, nawab, palsgrave, pasha, rajah, waldgrave, princess, begum, duchess, marchioness, countess, lady, dame, memsahib, Do$a, maharani, rani, personage of distinction, man of distinction, personage of rank, man of rank, personage of mark, man of mark, notables, notabilities, celebrity, bigwig, magnate, great man, star, superstar, big bug, big gun, great gun, gilded rooster, magni nominis umbra, every inch a king, noble, exalted, of rank, princely, titled, patrician, aristocratic, high-, well-born, of gentle blood, genteel, comme il faut, gentlemanlike, courtly, highly respectable, in high quarters, Adel sitzt im Gemuthe nicht im Gebluete, adelig und edel sind zweierlei, noblesse oblige.For further exploring for "begum" in Webster Dictionary Online