Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A ruler, an official, or an important person in India and some central Asian countries.
- noun A medieval ruler of a Mongol, Tatar, or Turkish tribe.
- noun A caravansary in certain Asian countries.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One of a class of unfurnished inns in Turkish and some other Oriental lands, generally belonging to the government.
- noun The title of sovereign princes in Tatar countries, whose dominions are known as khanates, and of nomadic chiefs and various state officers in Persia; also, one of the titles of the. sultan of Turkey.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A king; a prince; a chief; a governor; -- so called among the Tartars, Turks, and Persians, and in countries now or formerly governed by them.
- noun An Eastern inn or caravansary.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun after
Genghis Khan , aruler over various Turkish, Tatar and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages - noun an
Ottoman sultan - noun a
noble or man ofrank in various Muslim countries of Central Asia, including Afghanistan - noun a
caravanserai ; a resting-place for a travellingcaravan
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an inn in some eastern countries with a large courtyard that provides accommodation for caravans
- noun a title given to rulers or other important people in Asian countries
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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October 5th, 2009 6: 19 pm ET ah … they are just letting me win. rakin khan, Toronto
Beat 360° 10/5/09 2009
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The immediate jurisdiction of the khan is confined within the limits of his own tribe; and the exercise of his royal prerogative has been moderated by the ancient institution of a national council.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1206
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After the murder of his father Karzai inherited the title khan ( "head") of the 500,000-strong Popolzai — the Pashtoon clan of Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Persian army commander who conquered the southern Afghan city of Kandahar and in 1747 became the first king of Afghanistan.
The Lawless Frontier 2000
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After the murder of his father Karzai inherited the title khan ( "head") of the 500,000-strong Popolzai — the Pashtoon clan of Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Persian army commander who conquered the southern Afghan city of Kandahar and in 1747 became the first king of Afghanistan.
The Lawless Frontier 2000
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The khan has been a strong edifice, but the stones of the massive gateway, especially the great keystone, are split across, as if from the effects of gunpowder.
Byeways in Palestine James Finn
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Madam, said I, I am a stranger, lodging in a khan, which is not a proper place for the reception of a lady of your quality and merit.
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But lo! the neat white cottage was a guardhouse, and our khan was the rude, unpainted, windowless barn.
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The "habitation of Chimham" (Jer. 41: 17) was probably an inn or khan, which is the proper meaning of the
Easton's Bible Dictionary M.G. Easton 1897
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The khan was a hovel; but while it was swept out, and prepared for us, I sat down with the captain on a shopboard, in the little bazaar, where coffee was served.
Servia, Youngest Member of the European Family or, A Residence in Belgrade and Travels in the Highlands and Woodlands of the Interior, during the years 1843 and 1844. Andrew Archibald Paton 1842
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Arriving at Cairo, I went to the khan, called the khan of
The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Complete Anonymous 1791
petitfour commented on the word khan
KHAAAAAAAAAN!
April 4, 2007
Telofy commented on the word khan
"… that by the time we reached the gate of the necropolis, the statue of Night atop the khan on the opposite bank was a minute scratch of black against the sun’s field of flame, …"
—Gene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun
September 25, 2008