# bey

Pronunciation: say "BAY" US/UK /beɪ/, AUS /bæɪ/

## Noun

1. A prince or nobleman, as the title is borne in various other regions and cultures.
   - Simple: A prince or other noble person in some countries.
   - _The bey received tributes from the surrounding villages each spring._
   - _Rival beys formed alliances through marriage to secure their estates._
2. A governor of a province or district within the Turkish or Ottoman territories.
   - Simple: A ruler in charge of a province or area in the old Ottoman lands.
   - _The bey governed the coastal province on behalf of the sultan._
   - _Local disputes were brought before the bey for judgment._

## Origin

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish "bey" (gentleman, chief), which came from Old Anatolian Turkish "beg" (ruler), tracing back to Proto-Turkic "*bēg" (lord).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bey (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).