NYT Dictionary

CZAR

/zɑː(ɹ)/
NounZAHRGrade 7

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2023, 2025

Meaning

Alternative spelling of tsar (especially common in American English)

Etymology

Origin: Latin

Etymology tree Latin Caesarbor. Proto-Germanic *kaisarazder. Proto-Slavic *cěsařь Old East Slavic цѣсарь (cěsarĭ) Old East Slavic цьсарь (cĭsarĭ) Russian царь (carʹ)bor. English czar See tsar. The spelling czar, the older spelling in English, comes from the book Notes on Muscovite Affairs (1549) by Sigismund von Herberstein. It was supplanted by the alternative tsar in the 19th century.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

tsartzarautocratbaronbeycaesarcommissarincakaiserardri

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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