CALIPH Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

caliph

or ��·��

[ key-lif, kal-if ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad.
any of the former Muslim rulers of Baghdad (until 1258) and of the Ottoman Empire (from 1571 until 1924).

caliph

/ ˈkæl-; ˈkeɪlɪf /

noun

Islam the title of the successors of Mohammed as rulers of the Islamic world, later assumed by the Sultans of Turkey

Discover More

Other �y��vlog Forms

��·��·�� [kal, -, uh, -f, uh, l, key, -l, uh, -], adjective

Discover More

�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of caliph¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English caliphe, califfe, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin calipha, from Arabic ��󲹱�ī��(��) “successor (of Muhammad),” derivative of khalafa “s�ܳ��”

Discover More

�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of caliph¹

C14: from Old French, from Arabic ��󲹱�ī�ڲ� successor

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“By my beard, you can have it. It’s juicier than other eyes. It has seen every color and every bride in the caliph’s harem.”

From

He never asserted a hereditary claim to the grand title of caliph.

From

As though inspired by “1984,” a caliph tells the Iraqis whom his men have kidnapped, “We came to liberate you.”

From

The museum’s first exhibition since reopening in October after a major overhaul, “Baghdad: Eye’s Delight” charts the city’s heritage from the Abbasid caliphs from the seventh to twelfth centuries to today.

From

Some rival cut the caliph’s throat while he sat reading, and now “his blood flecks a page like the shadow of a moth.”

From

Related �y��vlogs

Browse