khan

(kän, kăn)
n.

1. A ruler, an official, or an important person in India and some central Asian countries.
2. A medieval ruler of a Mongol, Tartar, or Turkish tribe.

[Middle English chan, from Old French can, from Turkish khān (from Old Turkic qaghan) and from Mongolian qā'ān, ruler.]

khan² (kän, kăn)
n.
A caravansary in certain Asian countries.

[Arabic ḫān, inn, from Persian khān, house, from Middle Persian.]

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For more information on khan, visit Britannica.com.

Unfurnished building for the accommodation of travellers in the Middle East, etc. A caravanserai.

[Ge]

Turkish title for a prince or ruler.

Highway inn for travelers, or a warehouse for merchandise. Khans were built as rest stops for travelers and caravans. A khan was also an urban complex for storing merchandise and hosting merchants.

(From Turkish khan and Mongolian qa'an "ruler.") A ruler of a Mongol or Turkic people. The Mongols and Turkic peoples (from which modern day Turks are descendent) are distantly related. The Turks began migrating from Central Asia toward the Middle East after accepting the Sunni faith in the 7th century.

IN BRIEF: A ruler, an official, or an important person in India and some central Asian countries.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. — Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), English romantic poet and critic, from Kubla Khan.

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For a list of words related to khan, see:

• Titles of Rank - khan: local chieftain or man of rank in countries of central Asia

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See words rhyming with "khan."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Khan.

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Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - kan

2.
n. - karavanserai

Nederlands (Dutch)
khan, Aziatische vorstentitel, karavanserai

Français (French)
1.
n. - khan

2.
n. - auberge

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Khan

2.
n. - Karawanserei

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χαν, ηγέτης

Italiano (Italian)
can, capo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - governador (m), oficial (m) (f) ou pessoa (f) importante na Índia

Русский (Russian)
хан, караван-сарай

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - kan, título nobiliario en la India

2.
n. - posada

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - khan

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 汗, 可汗

2. 小客栈, 商队客店

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 小客棧, 商隊客店

2.
n. - 汗, 可汗

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 중세의 타타르, 몽고 등 여러 부족의 지배자, 귀족, 고관의 존칭

2.
n. - 여인숙, 숙박소

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 汗, 隊商の宿舎

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) لقب خليفه جنكيز خان‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שליט תורכי או מונגולי, חאן‬
n. - ‮פונדק, חאן‬

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