like some pharaoh of a third-world country, more interested in building monuments to himself than in creating a future for his people
Recent Examples on the WebRead Next World Divers find 2,300-year-old carvings linked to Egyptian pharaohs in the Nile.—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 July 2024 Payraudeau said the inscription is evidence that the artifact was originally from the tomb of the famous pharaoh and had been reused after looting.—Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 10 June 2024 The Great Pyramids of Giza soar above the desert to illustrate the power and importance of the pharaohs buried there.—Ashley Gardini, JSTOR Daily, 11 June 2024 Whereas the pharaohs, in a symbolic ritual, used to eat the gods, today's ordinary Egyptians are preparing to consume their pharaoh-like leader and bestow on themselves the gift of democracy.—Robert Zaretsky, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2011 See all Example Sentences for pharaoh
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Word History
Etymology
Middle English pharao, from Old English, from Late Latin pharaon-, pharao, from Greek pharaō, from Hebrew parʽōh, from Egyptian pr-ʽʾ̹
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of pharaoh was
before the 12th century
Old English pharao "pharaoh," from Latin pharaon-, pharao (same meaning), from Greek pharaō (same meaning), from Hebrew par'ōh "pharaoh," of Egyptian origin
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