begum

Verb

begum (third-person singular simple present begums, present participle begumming, simple past and past participle begummed)

1. (transitive) To daub or cover with gum.

Noun (1)

IPA/ˈbeɪɡəm/

begum (plural begums)

1. a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia
   • He went to India with his capital, and there, according to a wild legend in our family, he was once seen riding on an elephant, in company with a Baboon; but I think it must have been a Baboo—or a Begum.1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, chapter 1, in The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC
   • She was the daughter of an English officer, who having fallen in love with an Indian Begum gave up home, country, and friends, and married her.1872, James De Mille, The Cryptogram, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2009
2. the form of address for such a woman
   • It was a known fact that an envoy from an Indian Prince, a Colonel Altamont, the Nawaub of Lucknow’s prime favourite, an extraordinary man, who had, it was said, embraced Mahometanism, and undergone a thousand wild and perilous adventures was at present in this country, trying to negotiate with the...1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 45, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published...

Proper noun capitalized: Begum

Begum (plural Begums)

1. A surname of Bengali usage

Noun (2) capitalized: Begum

Begum (plural Begums)

1. An honorific title from Central and South Asia, often used by leading women in society.