bey
A governor of a province or district in the Turkish (e.g. Ottoman) dominions.
Noun
- A governor of a province or district in the Turkish (e.g. Ottoman) dominions.
- She was chaperoned by the widow of a Bey whose son had been at Oxford with him, and this gave him the excuse to exchange a few words with her, and then to be presented to the Princess. - 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia...
- Whether his position with the Third Circle made the difference or the fact that he ranked as a bey, life in El Iskandryia was proving easier than he'd ever dreamed possible when he stepped off the plane. - 2005, Jon...
- in various other places, a prince or nobleman
Origin
Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بك (bey, “gentleman, chief”), from Old Anatolian Turkish بك (beg, “ruler”), from Proto-Turkic *bēg (“lord”). See there for more.