begum

Begum, Begüm or Baigum (Turkish: Begüm, Persian: بیگم) is a Turkic title given to female family members of a Baig or 'Beg', a higher official. The term Begum is derived from the word Beg, and means a female member of the Beg's family.

It is a title given to women of rank in South Asia. It used to be conferred upon women of royalty or aristocracy. Examples are: Begum Hazrat Mahal, Jahanara Begum, and Begum Inaara Aga Khan, Begum Samina.

Colloquially, the term is used by South Asian Muslim men to refer to their own wives or as a honorific address to a married or widowed woman. For example, Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Begum Khaleda Zia [1].

The term became known in the West — especially in the French-speaking world—due to Jules Verne's 1879 novel The Begum's Millions (in French, Les Cinq cents millions de la Begum).

In the UK, Begum has been increasingly used as a religious slur against headscarf wearing Muslim Women. It became associated with devout Islam and the practice of wearing the veil through the court case of Shabina Begum. ^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Bey
• Mirza
• Rule of Begums in Bhopal

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