sahib
Other forms: sahibs
In parts of the Indian subcontinent, the word sahib is used as a polite way to address a man. Today it's become more common to say "sir" instead, but many people still use sahib.
During the British raj, Indians used sahib to respectfully address British people, and British officers used the word when they spoke to Indian officers. This tradition continues within the Indian army today. Sahib is also used to show respect to men considered higher or lower caste than the speaker. Sahib is from Urdu, in which it means "master," and derives from an Arabic root meaning "friend or companion."
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formerly a term of respect for important white Europeans in colonial India; used after the name
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Vocabulary lists containing sahib
Although known more for his novel that humanized animals, George Orwell reflects in an essay about the time when he had to, as a police officer in Burma, shoot a runaway elephant. The author presents this incident with humor, while also emphasizing his hatred of his role in the British Empire. Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 12 Unit 1's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: My Papa's Waltz, in just-, The Last Word, Mushrooms, I Remember, Invisible Man, Four Skinny Trees, Dirty Work, On Seeing England for the First Time, Speaking with Hands, The White Man's Burden, The Poor Man's Burden, Shooting an Elephant, Lindo Jong: Double Face, Stranger in the Village
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