caliph
Americannoun
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a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad.
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any of the former Muslim rulers of Baghdad (until 1258) and of the Ottoman Empire (from 1571 until 1924).
noun
Other Word Forms
- caliphal adjective
Etymology
Origin of caliph
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”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Abdulmejid thus became, uniquely, the caliph of the Turkish Republic and the only caliph not to be sultan—until he, too, was dispossessed and exiled in 1924.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
It started out as a rebranded faction of Al Qaeda, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an Iraqi militant cleric and insurgent leader turned self-styled caliph.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025
It is named after Omar, Islam's second caliph.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2023
Over the weekend, Serigne Mountakha Mbacke, caliph of the Mouride brotherhood, Senegal’s most influential religious order, called on people in the city of Touba, the brotherhood’s headquarters, to stop demonstrating and return home.
From Washington Times • Jun. 5, 2023
Sheerkoh died immediately after his arrival, and Youseef succeeded to his command, and was appointed vizier of the caliph.
From The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the Temple by Addison, Charles G.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
