Beylik
/beɪˈlɪk/noun
A principality or territory ruled by a bey, especially in the Ottoman and pre-Ottoman Turkish world.
Did you know?Many beyliks were independent or semi-independent Turkish principalities in Anatolia, and the Ottoman state itself began as one small beylik.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Turkic
Proto-Turkic
*beg
“A title for a chief, lord, or ruler”
8th Century
Old Turkic
beg
“A nobleman, military leader, or local ruler”
11th Century
Middle Turkic
bek
“A lord or political authority”
13th–15th Centuries
Turkish
beylik
“The territory or principality governed by a bey”
19th Century
English
beylik
“A Turkish principality or province ruled by a bey”
Modern English
English
beylik
“A historical Turkish principality or domain”