Negus (Ge'ez: ንጉሥ, nəgueś [nɨgueɬ]; cf. Amharic: ነጋሲ nəgus [nɨgus]) is the word for "king" in the Ethiopian Semitic languages and a title[1] which was usually bestowed upon a regional ruler by the Negusa Nagast, or "king of kings,"[2] in pre-1974 Ethiopia.