bey

American  

[bay] / beɪ /

noun

• beys
  plural

1. a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire.

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

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

---

bey British  

/ 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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• beys
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of bey

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 )

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bey beys

The early-signing period is 300 days away — a long time to keep the marauders at bey.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2020

From the moment each hot and hopeful foreigner sets foot in the United States, the pair has 90 days to get married, or international bey has to return home.

From Salon ● Dec. 22, 2018

The use of encryption should be mainly to keep common criminals at bey, and maybe some forms of organized crime.

From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2016

In Sango, the national tongue, there is a phrase for this: kanga bey.

From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2014

The town was ruled by a semi-independent Kurdish bey as late as 1836.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1 "Bisharin" to "Bohea" by Various

The beys were subsequently blamed for clearing the way for seven decades of French rule and were condemned to obscurity by Mr. Bourguiba after Tunisia’s independence.

From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2017

Two principal beys, Ibrahim and Mourad divided between them the sovereignty of Egypt.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol IV. No. XX. January, 1852. by Various

Prince Wied arrived in March 1914 but had to flee the country six months later because of the outbreak of World War I and the difficulties caused by the unruly feudal beys.

From Area Handbook for Albania by Sarah Jane Elpern

The beys rejoiced greatly at the tidings of the five millions, and embraced Dirham, who did his best to attribute all the merit of the deed to Tepelenti for sending the money so magnanimously.

From The Lion of Janina The Last Days of the Janissaries by Mór Jókai

While these scenes were being enacted, al-Alfī was besieging Damanhur, and the other beys were returning towards Cairo, Khorshīd having called them to his assistance; but Mehemet Ali forced them to retreat.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1 "Edwardes" to "Ehrenbreitstein" by Various

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---