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bey

[ bey ]
/ beÉȘ /
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noun, plural beys.
a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire.
(formerly) a title of respect for Turkish dignitaries.
(formerly) the title of the ruler of Tunis or Tunisia.
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Which sentence is correct?
Turkish beg.

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 )
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bey in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bey

bey
/ (beÉȘ) /

noun
(in the Ottoman Empire) a title given to senior officers, provincial governors, certain other officials or nobles, and (sometimes) Europeans
(in modern Turkey) a title of address, corresponding to Mr
Also called: beg

Word Origin for bey

C16: Turkish: lord
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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