caliphate
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of caliphate
Explanation
Historically, a caliphate was an area where religious Muslims lived under the leadership of a caliph, who was considered to be a successor to Muhammad, Islam's prophet and founder. A caliphate is a kind of state, but because it's based on religion, it's not bound by the international laws that govern nation-states. The earliest caliphates were formed after Muhammad's death in 632, as a way to continue his teachings. The last political caliphate, in the Ottoman Empire, ended in 1923. In more recent times, the extremist militants known as ISIL have declared themselves to be a caliphate. The word is rooted in the Arabic khalifa, "successor."
Vocabulary lists containing caliphate
This Week in Words: January 12 - 18, 2019
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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.
A group of women linked to Islamic State jihadists arrived in Australia on Thursday, returning home years after allegedly sneaking into Syria to join the group's self-declared caliphate.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
The caliphate was abolished soon after the birth of modern Turkey.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Since the defeat of IS in Syria in 2019, this area has been a holding ground for the remnants of the group's so-called "caliphate".
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
The jihadists' objective is indeed "the fall of the junta" and the "establishment of a caliphate", Nicolas Lerner, France's foreign intelligence chief said Monday in an interview on France Inter radio.
From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025
“I am famous from the courts of Chang’an to the caliphate of Baghdad for my honesty. They speak of my bargains among the tongueless island tribes—they click about me, like you do, Rasseem.”
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
