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
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”
Explanation
A caliph is a religious and civil leader in a Muslim country. If you become a diplomat in the Middle East, you might have many discussions with caliphs. Caliph comes from the Arabic word khalafa, meaning "successor" or "next in line." It was taken as a title by Abu-bekr, the first Islamic leader after the death of Mohammed, the prophet who founded the religion of Islam. All great Islamic leaders take the title caliph. Because caliph is an Anglicized version of an Arabic word, from a different alphabet, there are many spelling variations including calif, kalif, kaliph, khalif, and khalifah.
Vocabulary lists containing caliph
English Words Derived from Arabic
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World Religions
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Medieval Europe - Middle School
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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.
The shrine is the ornate burial place of Ali -- the Prophet Mohammed's son-in-law, the fourth Islamic caliph and the first Shia Imam.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
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
The caliph was so astonished and delighted that he could not take his eyes off the tree and the peacock, and he was just going to express his admiration when Aboulcassem suddenly took them away.
From The Thousand and One Days A Companion to the 'Arabian Nights' by Pardoe, Julia
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.
