Where does “albay” come from?

albay (Turkish) comes from Turkish bay, from Ottoman Turkish بای, from Proto-Turkic *bāy — rich.

albay (Turkish): colonel

Definitions

  1. colonel

Ancestry of “albay”, step by step

albay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Turkish bay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Turkishbaygentleman; Mr; rich, wealthy
2Ottoman Turkishبایrich
3Proto-Turkic*bāyrich

via Turkish alay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Turkishalayregiment
2Ottoman Turkishآلایregiment
3Ancient Greekἀλλάγιον—
Every word from Proto-Turkic *bāy →Every word from Ottoman Turkish بای →Every word from Turkish bay →