Sardar, a word of Indo-Iranian origin also spelled as Sirdar or Serdar, is a title of nobility (sir-, sar/sair- means "head or authority" and -dār means "holder" in Sanskrit and Avestan respectively) that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It has also been used to denote a chief or leader of a tribe or group. It is used synonymously with the title Amir. The term was widely used by Maratha nobility, who held important positions in various Maratha States of the imperial Maratha Empire.