# พระ
## Thai
### Alternative forms

* (obsolete)

### Etymology

From Old Khmer ព្រ (bra) or Angkorian Old Khmer ព្រះ (braḥ), ព្រះហ៑ (braḥh), ព្រហ៑ (brah, literally “distinguished; divine; excellent; holy; sacred; superior; etc”), likely from Sanskrit वर (vara, “best; excellent; foremost; holy; precious; top; valuable; etc”); see Khmer ព្រះ (prĕəh) for more.
Compare Old Khmer វ្រះ (vraḥ), វ្រះហ៑ (vraḥh), វ្រហ៑ (vrah), វ្រហ្ហ៑ (vrahh), វ្រាអះ (vrāʼaḥ), ព្រា (brā); Angkorian Old Khmer វ្រះ (vraḥ), វ្រះហ (vraḥha), វ្រះហ៑ (vraḥh), វ្រហ៑ (vrah), វ្រស៑ (vras), វ្រាះ (vrāḥ).
Cognate with Modern Khmer ព្រះ (prĕəh), Lao ພະ (pha), ພຣະ (pha ra), Northern Thai ᨻᩕ, Lü ᦘᦰ (ph!), Shan ၽြႃး (phráa). Compare also Burmese ဘုရား (bhu.ra:), Old Javanese phra, Javanese bra. Doublet of พร (pɔɔn) and วร (wɔɔn) via Sanskrit.

### Pronunciation

| Orthographic | Orthographic | พระ b r a |
| Phonemic | Phonemic | พฺระ b ̥ r a |
| Romanization | Paiboon | prá |
| Romanization | Royal Institute | phra |
| (standard) IPA | (standard) IPA | /pʰraʔ˦˥/ |

### Noun

พระ • (prá)
* god, deity; priest, royal person; also used as an honorific or term of address.
** 1 Chronicles 10:10, KJV:
    เขาเอาเครื่องอาวุธของพระองค์ไปไว้ในวิหารพระของเขา
       kǎo ao krʉ̂ʉang-aa-wút kɔ̌ɔng prá-ong bpai wái nai wí-hǎan prá kɔ̌ɔng kǎo
       And they put his armour in the house of their gods,
** เจ้าฟ้าธรรมธิเบศไชยเชษฐ์สุริยวงศ์, กาพย์เห่เรือ:
    พระเสด็จโดยแดนชล
       prá sà-dèt dooi dɛɛn chon
       He [the king] travels by water.
* representation, as image, statue, sculpture, etc, of such person.
* used as an honorific for or term of address to anyone or anything relating to a god, deity, priest, or royal person, or to a representation of such person.
* (historical) the Thai noble rank above หลวง (lǔuang) and below พระยา (prá-yaa); holder of this rank.
* male protagonist, as in a literary work, drama, etc.

#### Usage notes

When used as the honorific according to the third definition, the term may be combined with other terms to form more elegancy. Examples are:
| Terms | Literal meaning | Application | Application | Application | Notes |
| Terms | Literal meaning | Gods | High priests | Royals | Notes |
| พระบรมมหาราช (prá-bɔɔ-rom-má-hǎa-râat-chá-) | sacred, supreme, great, royal | | | | For monarchs |
| พระบรม (prá-bɔɔ-rom-má-) | sacred, supreme | | | | For monarchs |
| พระบรมราช (prá-bɔɔ-rom-má-râat-chá-) | sacred, supreme, royal | | | | For monarchs |
| พระบวร (prá-bɔɔ-wɔɔ-rá-) | sacred, exalted | | | | For princes of the Front Palace |
| พระบวรราช (prá-bɔɔ-wɔɔ-rá-râat-chá) | sacred, exalted, royal | | | | For princes of the Front Palace |
| พระปรม (prá-bpɔɔ-rá-má-) | sacred, supreme | | | | For monarchs |
| พระพุทธ (prá-pút-tá-) | sacred, Buddhist | | | | For Buddhas and Buddhist high priests |
| พระมหา (prá-má-hǎa-) | sacred, great | | | | |
| พระมหาราช (prá-má-hǎa-râat-chá-) | sacred, great, royal | | | | |
| พระมหาสมณ (prá-má-hǎa-sà-má-ná-) | sacred, great, ecclesiastical | | | | |
| พระราช (prá-râat-chá-) | sacred, royal | | | | For high-ranking royals |
| พระวร (prá-wɔɔ-rá-) | sacred, excellent | | | | For high-ranking royals |
| พระสมณ (prá-sà-má-ná-) | sacred, ecclesiastical | | | | |
| พระสุร (prá-sù-rá-) | sacred, celestial | | | | For high-ranking royals |

#### See also

* (noble ranks) บรรดาศักดิ์ (ban-daa-sàk); สมเด็จเจ้าพระยา (sǒm-dèt-jâao-prá-yaa), เจ้าพระยา (jâao-prá-yaa), พระยา (prá-yaa), พระ (prá), หลวง (lǔuang), ขุน (kǔn), หมื่น (mʉ̀ʉn), พัน (pan), นาย (naai)