caliph

Also ka·lif,
Or ca·lif

[key-lif, kal-if]

noun

1. a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad.

2. any of the former Muslim rulers of Baghdad (until 1258) and of the Ottoman Empire (from 1571 until 1924).

caliph

/ ˈkæl-, ˈkeɪlɪf /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• caliphal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of caliph¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English caliphe, califfe, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin calipha, from Arabic khalīf(a) “successor (of Muhammad),” derivative of khalafa “succeed”

Word History and Origins

Origin of caliph¹

C14: from Old French, from Arabic khalīfa successor

Example Sentences

The late Abbasid caliphs militarized their economy in an effort to wrest control from the dominant merchants.

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“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.”

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

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

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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.

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Related Words

• czar 
• emperor 
• king 
• monarch 
• shah 
• sultan