A Turkish title for a provincial governor or military commander, especially in the Ottoman Empire.
From Turkish beylerbeyi, meaning 'bey of beys' or 'chief of chiefs.' The word combines bey (a Ottoman title of respect, from Turkish meaning 'lord') repeated twice to show rank hierarchy. The 'beg' spelling is an English transliteration.
The Ottoman Empire had an intricate ranking system of titles, and 'beglerbeg' represented the highest regional authority—essentially a military viceroy. When English speakers adopted the word in the 1500s-1600s, they kept the Turkish structure even though it sounded repetitive to English ears.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.