. From a photograph taken ca. 1912 by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii.]]Emir (Arabic: ; , , "commander" or "general", later also "prince" ; also transliterated as amir, aamir or ameer) is a high title of nobility or office, used in Arabic nations of the Middle East and North Africa, and historically, in some Turkic states.While emir is the predominant spelling in English and many other languages, amir, closer to the original Arabic, is more common for its numerous compounds ( e. g., admiral) and in individual names. Spelling thus differs depending on the sources consulted.
Origins
Amir, meaning "chieftain" or "commander", is derived from the Arabic root , "command". Originally simply meaning commander or leader, usually in reference to a group of people, it came to be used as a title of governors or rulers, usually in smaller states, and in modern Arabic usually renders the English word "prince." The word entered English in 1595, from the French Ʃmir. http://www.etymonline.com/
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amir