𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠𐭭 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠

• (Book Pahlavi, rare) šʾhʾn' šʾh (šāhān šāh)
• (Pazend) 𐬱𐬁𐬵𐬀𐬥𐬱𐬁𐬵‎ (šāhanšāh)

From 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠‎ (MLKA /šāh/) and its oblique plural 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠𐭭‎ (MLKAn /šāhān/) or inherited in whole from Old Persian 𐏋 𐏐 𐏋𐎠𐎴𐎠𐎶 (XŠ XŠ-a-n-a-m /xšāyaθiya xšāyaθiyānām/, “king of kings”), from 𐏋 (XŠ /xšāyaθiya/, “king”) + 𐏋𐎠𐎴𐎠𐎶 (xšāyaθiyānām), genitive plural of 𐏋 (XŠ /xšāyaθiya/, “king”).

Transliterated into Latin as saansaan by Ammianus Marcellinus and borrowed into Old Armenian as շահանշահ (šahanšah). Translated into Ancient Greek as βασιλεύς τῶν βασιλέων (basileús tôn basiléōn), Latin as rex regibus, Old Armenian as թագաւորաց թագաւոր (tʿagaworacʿ tʿagawor), արքայից արքայ (arkʿayicʿ arkʿay), Hebrew מלך המלכים‎ (Melech ha-M'lachim).

The formula originates in the Ancient Near East; compare Akkadian 𒈗𒊭𒈗𒈨𒌍 (šar šarrāni, “king of kings”), the title of Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria (13th century BC).

𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠𐭭 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠‎ • (šāhān šāh [MLKAn MLKA])

1. king of kings, shahanshah

• Persian: شاهنشاه‎ (šâhanšâh), شاهنشه‎ (šâhanšah), شهنشاه‎ (šahanšâh), شهنشه‎ (šahanšah), شاهانشاه‎ (šâhânšâh)
  • → Arabic: شَاهَان شَاه‎ (šāhān šāh)
  • → Azerbaijani: şahənşah / شاهنشاه‎
  • → English: shahanshah
  • → Hindustani:
    • Hindi: शहंशाह (śahanśāh)
    • Urdu: شہنشاہ‎ (šahanšāh)
  • → Middle Armenian: շահնշահ (šahnšah)
    • Armenian: շահնշահ (šahnšah)
  • → Ottoman Turkish: شاهنشاه‎ (şâhenşâh), شاهنشه‎ (şâhenşeh), شهنشاه‎ (şehenşâh), شهنشه‎ (şehenşeh)
    • Turkish: şehinşah
• → Old Armenian: շահանշահ (šahanšah)

• Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, pages 207–208
• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1977), “շահանշահ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume III, 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 482ab