Meaning & use
caliph
A Muslim ruler considered a political and religious successor to the Prophet Muhammad.
See it in a sentence
The caliph governed a vast empire stretching from Spain to Central Asia.
Historians debate how much religious authority each caliph actually held.
A note on using this word
The title comes from the Arabic 'khalifa', meaning 'successor'; the era of rule by caliphs is called a caliphate.
Words with a similar meaning
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