Begum

Begum, begam, baigum or beygum (Turkish: begüm, Persian: بیگم‎‎, Urdu: بیگم‎, Bengali: বেগম) is a female royal and title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title baig or bey, which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It usually refers to the wife or daughter of a beg. The related form begzadi (daughter of a beg) also occurs.

In South Asia, particularly in Punjab, Sindh, Hyderabad, Delhi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sylhet, begum has been adapted for use as an honorific for Muslim women of high social status or as a surname.

Some examples of women with the title of begum are:

Colloquially, the term is also used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh by Muslim men to refer to their own wives or as an honorific address to a married or widowed woman.

The term became well known in the West, especially in the French-speaking world, due to Jules Verne's 1879 novel The Begum's Millions.

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