มหาราช

Alternative forms

Etymology

From มหา (má-hǎa, “grand; grand; etc”) +‎ ราช (râat, “monarch, sovereign; chief, head, leader”); ultimately from Sanskrit महाराज (mahārāja, “emperor; great king; supreme sovereign”), from मह (maha, “grand; great”) + राज (rāja, “king; sovereign”), probably via Old Khmer mahārāja (“great king; great prince; supreme monarch”). Compare Modern Khmer មហារាជ (mɔɔhaariəc).

The third sense was probably first used during the reign of King Mongkut (1851–1868) or Chulalongkorn (1868–1910).^[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

มหาราช • (má-hǎa-râat)

1. emperor; king of kings; maharaja.
2. (historical) king of Lan Na.
3. the Great: a title given to an important male monarch.
   • อเล็กซานเดอร์มหาราช

     à-lék-saan-də̂ə má-hǎa-râat

     Alexander the Great

4. the standard of the monarch of Thailand, being a yellow flag with the mythological bird garuda.