Shogun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The supreme generalissimo of feudal Japan.
"The third is the Shogun who reygneth at the preſent, and hath rayſed the perſecution (whereof this booke intreateth) againſt the Chriſtians, and he as it ſeemeth is acknowledged as Lord of all the threeſcore and ſix Kingdomes of Iaponia."
- 2 a hereditary military dictator of Japan; the shoguns ruled Japan until the revolution of 1867-68 wordnet
Example
More examples"The third is the Shogun who reygneth at the preſent, and hath rayſed the perſecution (whereof this booke intreateth) againſt the Chriſtians, and he as it ſeemeth is acknowledged as Lord of all the threeſcore and ſix Kingdomes of Iaponia."
Etymology
From Japanese 将軍 (shōgun), itself the short form of 征夷大将軍 (seii taishōgun, literally “general who overcomes the barbarians”), ultimately from Middle Chinese. Doublet of jiangjun.
More for "shogun"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.