khan

khan¹

/kahn, kan/, n.

1. (in the Altaic group of languages) a title held by hereditary rulers or tribal chiefs.

2. the supreme ruler of the Tatar tribes, as well as emperor of China, during the Middle Ages: a descendant of Genghis Khan.

3. a title of respect used in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and other countries of Asia.

[1350-1400; ME Ca(a)n, Chan Turkic Khan, appar. contr. of Khagan, equiv. to Turk kagan ruler]

khan²

/kahn, kan/, n.

an inn or caravansary.

[1350-1400; < Ar < Pers; r. ME alchan < Ar (al the + khan)]

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I

Historically, the ruler or monarch of a Mongol tribe.

Early on a distinction was made between the title of khan and that of khākān, or "great khan." Later the term khan was adopted by the Seljuq and Khwārezm-Shāh dynasties as a title for the highest nobility. Gradually it became an affix to the name of any Muslim property owner. Today it is often used as a surname.

II

(as used in expressions)

Aga Khan

Aqa Khan

Agha Khan

Ahmad Khan Sir Sayyid

Ayub Khan Mohammad

Bogd Gegeen Khan

Genghis Khan

Chinggis Khan

Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan

Kublai Khan

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▪ title

also spelled  Cham, 

      historically, the ruler or monarch of a Mongol tribe (ulus). At the time of Genghis Khan (early 13th century) a distinction was made between the title of khan and that of khākān, which was the title Genghis assumed as Great Khan, or supreme ruler of the Mongols. The term khan was subsequently adopted by many Muslim societies. Among the Seljuqs and the Khwārezm-Shāhs of Central and Southwest Asia, khan was the highest title of the nobility; in Ṣafavid Iran, it denoted a type of provincial governor. The meaning of the term eventually extended downward along the socioeconomic scale until khan became an affix to the name of any Muslim property owner, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. It is now often used as a surname.

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