sultan
n. countablen. a king or ruler of a Muslim country. It is a title used for powerful leaders in history, especially in the Ottoman Empire.
n. a sovereign or monarch of a Muslim state, historically associated with the Ottoman Empire and certain regions of Southeast Asia. Often implies absolute authority or high rank within a dynastic system.
The sultan lived in a beautiful palace.
During the 16th century, the sultan issued a decree that changed the laws of the entire empire.
Historians often study the administrative reforms enacted by the sultan to understand how such a vast and diverse territory remained unified for centuries.
Borrowed from Middle French sultan or Medieval Latin sultanus, from Ottoman Turkish سلطان (sultan), from Arabic سُلْطَان (sulṭān, “strength, authority, ruler”). Compare Hebrew שִׁלְטוֹן (shiltón) and סוּלְטָן (sultán). Doublet of soldan.
When used as a specific title before a name, it is typically capitalised.