Etymology

sahib

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Today it means: A term of respect for a white European or other man of rank in colonial India. Full definition →

Hindustani ← Classical Persian صاحب ← Arabic صَاحِب
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The story

  1. Arabic · derived fromصَاحِب“companion”
  2. Classical Persian · derived fromصاحب
  3. Hindustani · borrowed from
  4. English todaysahib

From Hindustani صاحب / साहिब (sāhib, “lord”), from Classical Persian صاحب (sāhib), from Arabic صَاحِب (ṣāḥib, “companion”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.