nizam

N1I1Z10A1M3
UK/nɪˈzɑːm/

noun

The hereditary sovereign of Hyderabad, a former state of India.

OriginUrdu نظام ← Persian نظام →
UncommonFirst used 18th c.Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nizam1

nounnizam (plural nizams or nizamut)

plural nizams · plural nizamut

  1. historicalThe hereditary sovereign of Hyderabad, a former state of India.First known use 18th c.

    The nawabs of Bhopal, Ranput, Murshidabad, and Dhaka, along with the nizam of Hyderabad, all affirmed that the sultan has misled Muslims with his “erroneous” call to jihad and insisted that Indian Muslims had a duty to support Great Britain.

    2015, Eugene Rogan, The Fall of the Ottomans, Penguin, published 2016, page 71

nizam2

nounnizam (plural nizams)

plural nizams

  1. obsoleteThe Turkish regular army; a soldier in the Turkish army.First known use 19th c.

Origin

nizam · noun

  1. Persianنظام
  2. Urduنظام
  3. Englishnizam

From Urdu نظام (nizām) and its source, Persian نظام (nezâm), short for نظام الملک (nezâm el-malek, “a ruler of the realm”).

More words from Urdu, Persian

Full word history & related roots →

nizam · noun

  1. Arabicنِظَام“order, arrangement”
  2. Ottoman Turkishنظام
  3. Englishnizam

From Ottoman Turkish نظام (nızam), from Arabic نِظَام (niẓām, “order, arrangement”).

More words from Ottoman Turkish, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

MainznazimManziMazinZiman
Cite this entry
APA

nizam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nizam

MLA

“nizam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nizam. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nizam,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nizam.

Source: nizam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.