Dictionary.com

dey

[ dey ]
/ deɪ /
Save This Word!

noun
the title of the governor of Algiers before the French conquest in 1830.
a title sometimes used by the former rulers of Tunis and Tripoli.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of dey

1650–60; <French <Turkish dayι originally, maternal uncle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dey in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dey

dey
/ (deɪ) /

noun
the title given to commanders or (from 1710) governors of the Janissaries of Algiers (1671–1830)
a title applied by Western writers to various other Ottoman governors, such as the bey of Tunis

Word Origin for dey

C17: from French, from Turkish dayi, literally: maternal uncle, hence title given to an older person
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
FEEDBACK