negus
5 synonyms for negus, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A king or ruler in Ethiopia; used as a royal title, with the emperor styled negusa nagast, "king of kings".
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A king or ruler in Ethiopia; used as a royal title, with the emperor styled negusa nagast, "king of kings".
“The negus received the envoys at his court in Gondar.”
2. noun dated, British
A hot drink made from wine, usually port, mixed with hot water, sugar, lemon and spice.
“Guests were revived with cake and a glass of negus.”
How to use negus
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
The historical title is neutral and encyclopedic. The slang respelling carries all the restrictions of the word it replaces and is not made acceptable by the alternative spelling.
Etymology
The royal title is from Amharic nəgus, "king", from a Semitic root meaning "to reign". The drink is a separate word, named after an Englishman called Negus who is traditionally credited with the recipe.
Full origin of negus →