sahibdom means the condition of being a person of rank, especially a British person, in colonial India. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 83 out of 100.
Why “sahibdom” is a great word
SAHIBDOM — [Noun] The condition or status of being a sahib, especially a British person of rank in colonial India. From Hindustani sāhib ("lord, master"), from Arabic ṣāḥib ("companion, friend"), + the English suffix -dom (denoting a condition or domain). Unlike "raj," which names the historical period or system of rule, or "prestige," which implies general, earned admiration, sahibdom denotes a specific, brittle social altitude conferred by empire. It is the starch in a white linen suit that holds its shape in the humid air, the measured silence between a command and its execution, and the profound, cultivated loneliness of a bungalow veranda at sundown—a performance of authority so total it must be worn like a second skin, until the wearer forgets it can ever be removed.
Etymology
From sahib + -dom.
noun
- The condition of being a person of rank, especially a British person, in colonial India.“‘Oah!’ said Kim, firmly resolved to cling to his Sahibdom. ‘There was a box in the night that gave me bad talk. So I stopped it. Was it your box?’”