bey

[ bey ]

noun,plural beys.
  1. a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire.

  2. (formerly) a title of respect for Turkish dignitaries.

  1. (formerly) the title of the ruler of Tunis or Tunisia.

Origin of bey

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Turkish, by-form of earlier beg, Old Turkic beg “subordinate chief, head of a clan,” perhaps from a Middle Chinese word akin to Chinese bǎi “hundred” (Guangdong diaect baak )

Words Nearby bey

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How to use bey in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bey

bey

/ (beɪ) /


noun
  1. (in the Ottoman Empire) a title given to senior officers, provincial governors, certain other officials or nobles, and (sometimes) Europeans

  2. (in modern Turkey) a title of address, corresponding to Mr

Origin of bey

1
C16: Turkish: lord
  • Also called: beg

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