1
a
: a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire
b
: the former native ruler of Tunis or Tunisia
2
used as a courtesy title in Turkey and Egypt

Examples of bey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Zog is for his grandfather, an Ottoman bey, or chieftain, who became prime minister of Albania in 1922 and upgraded himself to president three years later, then to king in 1928. Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Turkish, gentleman, chief

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bey was in 1537

Dictionary Entries Near bey

Cite this Entry

“Bey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bey. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on bey

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!