caliph
noun /ˈkeɪlɪf/
/ˈkeɪlɪf/
- a title used by Muslim rulers, especially in the pastWord Originlate Middle English: from Old French caliphe, from Arabic k̲alīfa meaning ‘deputy (of God)’ (from the title k̲alīfat Allāh), or meaning ‘successor (of Muhammad)’ (from the title k̲alīfat rasūl Allāh ‘of the Messenger of God’), from k̲alafa ‘succeed’.