Spanish word

califato

Pronunciation

IPA/kaliˈfato/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncaliphate

Example

El califato impuso leyes basadas en la religión.

The caliphate imposed laws based on religion.

Illustration for califato (caliphate)

More examples

En las noticias se habló de cómo vivía la gente en el califato.

The news talked about how people lived in the caliphate.

Core concept

Territorial rule combining religious and state power under a caliph.

Common phrases

  • en el califato

    in the caliphate

  • bajo el califato

    under the caliphate

Similar words

teocracia: Political order organized around clerical rule or the implementation of religious law.
emirato: Region ruled by an emir with executive political control over its territory.

Definition in Spanish

Forma de gobierno en la cual un califa ejerce autoridad tanto religiosa como política sobre un territorio.

Word origin

The word traces to Arabic khalīfa/khilāfa (root kh-l-f, 'successor') and passed into medieval Latin as caliphatus before becoming Spanish califato.

Usage tips

  • In Spanish usage califato denotes the political-religious system rather than the person, and califa refers to the leader.

Opposites

  • estado laicosecular statenoun

Related words

Word lists with this word