sahib

Etymology

It is borrowed from Urdu صاحب (ṣāḥib, “master, lord”),^[2][3][1] also Hindi साहिब (sāhib),^[4][5][6][1] which came through Persian صاحب (sāhib)^[7][8][1] from Arabic صاحب (ṣāḥib, “companion, friend”).^{[2][6][3][4][1]} In Arabic it is the participle of a verb meaning "to become friends" or "to accompany".^[6][9] Hobson-Jobson notes that it sometimes meant a companion of Muhammad, and that in the “Arabian Nights” it is the title of a vizier.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

A respectful title or form of address for a European man in India: 1673, in John Fryer's A New Account of East India and Persia, published in 1698;^[4][5] the OED's first quotation is from Ovington's Voyage to Suratt (1696).^[2]

Semantic evolution

Hobson-Jobson describes it as the title by which Indians all over the country addressed and spoke of European gentlemen, and Europeans in general, when no disrespect was meant; it was also put after a European's name or office, as in Collector Sahib or Colonel Sahib, more like Monsieur than Mr.^[10] Among Indians themselves it served as a title of rank, as in Nawab Sahib and Raja Sahib, and in names such as Tipu Sahib.^[10][11] By the early 20th century British servicemen used it for "white man".^[11] From 1919 it was used, by extension, of a gentleman or a socially acceptable person.^[2][7] The American Heritage Dictionary also records it for a man who hires Sherpas or porters in the Himalayas.^[6] The feminine counterpart is memsahib.^[9][7]

Timeline

• 1673 – a title of respect for a European man in India.^[4][5]
• 1919 – a gentleman; a socially acceptable person.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. In South Asia, a respectful form of address or title for a man, often placed after his name or office.^[12][6][5]
2. (historical) A European man in colonial India, especially as addressed or spoken of by Indians.^[6][2][5]
3. A gentleman, or a person thought socially acceptable.^[2][7]
4. A male mountaineer who employs Sherpas or porters in the Himalayas.^[6]

Word family

• memsahib
• pukka sahib

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
7. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b c Yule, Henry; Burnell, A. C. (1903), Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, new ed. by William Crooke, London: John Murray
11. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
12. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins