memsahib

noun

mem·​sa·​hib ˈmem-ˌsä-ˌ(h)ib How to pronounce memsahib (audio)
-ˌsäb
: a white foreign woman of high social status living in India
especially : the wife of a British official

Word History

Etymology

Hindi, from English ma'am + Hindi & Urdu sahib sahib

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of memsahib was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near memsahib

MEMS

memsahib

men

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Memsahib.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memsahib. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Word Games

no Image
Commonly Misspelled Words Quiz Autocorrect can’t save you now.
high school student holding a pencil leaning over a sat test
Challenging Standardized Test Words 20 questions to help you score 1600
Name That Thing
Name That Thing You know what it looks like… but what is it cal...
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...