khan

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a title borne by rulers or high-ranking leaders among Turkic, Mongol, and other Central Asian peoples

   The khan summoned the tribal chiefs to discuss the defense of the frontier.

2. 2
   noun

   historical: the ruler of a khanate

   The khan governed the territory through regional governors and military commanders.

Borrowed through Persian and European languages from a Turkic title such as qan or qagan. It became familiar in English through accounts of Mongol and Central Asian rulers; khagan is a related, often higher, title.

Topics