Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Literally, a successor: the title given to the successor of Mohammed as head of the Moslem state and defender of the faith.
  • noun I. (1512-20); the office has since remained in the Ottoman (Sunni) dynasty. The title calif was assumed by the Ommiad rulers of Mohammedan Spain at Cordova (755-1031), after the overthrow of the family in Asia. The Fatimite rulers of Egypt (909-1171) also called themselves califs. Also spelled kalif, khalif, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Same as caliph, caliphate, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative form of caliph.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state considered to be a representative of Allah on earth
  • noun a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes

Etymologies

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