Plural of dey; the rulers or governors of Ottoman territories in North Africa, particularly Algeria and Tunisia.
From Turkish dey, possibly from Persian dā. The plural deys entered English through trade and diplomatic documents from the 16th-18th centuries.
Deys were so powerful that they conducted their own foreign diplomacy and even fought naval battles—the 'Barbary Deys' were legendary pirates who made European nations pay for safe passage!
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