vizier

noun

vi·​zier və-ˈzir How to pronounce vizier (audio)
1
: a high executive officer of various Muslim countries and especially of the Ottoman Empire
2
: a civil officer in ancient Egypt having viceregal powers
vizierate
və-ˈzir-ət How to pronounce vizier (audio)
-ˈzir-ˌāt
noun
vizierial adjective
viziership noun

Examples of vizier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That same year, a disguised Ismaili agent fatally stabbed the sultan’s indispensable vizier, Nizam al-Mulk, on the road from Isfahan to Baghdad. Nicholas Liu, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023 One popular story points to personal animus between Hasan and the caliph’s Armenian viziers. Nicholas Liu, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023 In 1910, Mehmed Talaat, a leader of the Young Turks movement and future grand vizier (essentially, the prime minister) of the Ottoman Empire, began planning the extermination of the empire’s Armenians. John Waterbury, Foreign Affairs, 31 Dec. 2018 In the freewheeling early years of Suleyman’s reign, Ibrahim Pasha, a Greek convert of dubious sincerity, effectively ran the empire as grand vizier while Alvise Gritti, the illegitimate son of the Venetian doge, made a huge fortune and dominated trade and diplomacy. Christopher De Bellaigue, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021 Mummies Invite Further Study Tomb of Kagemni, vizier of Egypt, from the early part of the reign of King Teti of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 21 Nov. 2022 Still, the vizier’s talented artisans hired did not have time to complete the carvings on the façade. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2022 The researchers found the tomb while excavating the dry moat that encircles the pyramid complex, not far from another burial site also discovered by the team—that of vizier, or high official, Merefnebef. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2022 Some are telling their finance, operations and technology chiefs to make room for a grand vizier of the company vibe. Callum Borchers, WSJ, 12 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vizier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Turkish vezir, from Arabic wazīr

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vizier was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near vizier

Cite this Entry

“Vizier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vizier. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vizier

noun
vi·​zier və-ˈzi(ə)r How to pronounce vizier (audio)
: a high official in a Muslim country

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