Bey
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /beɪ/
- w IPA: /bæɪ/
- w IPA: /beɪ/
- Rhymes: -eɪ
Origin
From Turkish bey ("gentleman, chief"), from Old Turkic بگ (bég, "head of a clan, subordinate chief").
Full definition of bey
Noun
bey
(plural beys)- A governor of a province or district in the Turkish dominions; also, in some places, a prince or nobleman; a beg.
- 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia, Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), p. 512:She was chaperoned by the widow of a Bey whose son had been at Oxford with him, and this gave him the excuse to exchange a few words with her, and then to be presented to the Princess.
- 2005, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Pashazade, p. 15:Whether his position with the Third Circle made the difference or the fact that he ranked as a bey, life in El Iskandryia was proving easier than he'd ever dreamed possible when he stepped off the plane.