maharajah

or ma·ha·ra·ja (mäˌhə-räˈjə, -zhə)

noun

1. A king or prince in India ranking above a rajah, especially the sovereign of one of the former native states.
2. Used as a title for such a king or prince.

Word History: Countless Indian restaurants are named Maharajah, from a Sanskrit word (mahārājaḥ) that means “great king.” The element mahā- is related to Greek mega- and Latin magnus, both meaning the same thing as the Sanskrit. All three forms derive from Indo-European *meg-, “great.” This root became *mik- in Germanic, where an adjective, *mikila-, “great,” was formed to it. This became mikils in Gothic, and micel, pronounced (mĭˈchəl), in Old English. The Old English word survives today in much (shortened from Middle English muchel) and in the family name Mitchell.