dragoman

English

The Dragoman of the Porte in 1809

Alternative forms

• drogman, druggerman

Etymology

From Middle English dragman, from Old French drugeman, from Medieval Latin dragumannus, from Byzantine Greek δραγομάνος (dragomános), from Arabic تُرْجُمَان (turjumān), from Classical Syriac ܬܰܪܓܡܳܢܳܐ (targmānā), from Akkadian 𒅴𒁄 (targumannum, “interpreter”). With the plural form -men, through reinterpretation as suffixed with -man. Doublet of truchman.

Noun

dragoman (plural dragomans or dragomen)

1. (historical) An interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages.
   • 1992, Martin R. Kalfatovic, Nile Notes of a Howadji, page 243:

     Engaging William Prime's (q.v.) dragoman, he visits the bazaars, mosques, and Pyramids before sailing in the dahabeeya Rip Van Winkle up the Nile.

   • 2011, David Bellos, chapter 11, in Is that a Fish in Your Ear?:

     Dragomans altered the pasha's language to put it in a form best suited to performing the act that the principal intended. […] Far from being ‘free’, the dragomans' reformulation of the words of the source expressed subservience to their principal's intention.

Translations

interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter

• Arabic: تُرْجُمَان m (turjumān)
• Czech: dragoman m
• French: drogman (fr), drogoman (fr), dragoman (fr)
• Georgian: თარჯიმანი (tarǯimani)
• German: Dolmetscher (de) m, Dragoman m
• Greek: δραγουμάνος (el) m (dragoumános)
• Hebrew: תרגמן (he) m (turgemán)
• Hungarian: dragomán (hu)
• Persian: ترگمان (targomân)
• Polish: dragoman (pl) m
• Portuguese: dragomano m, drogomano m
• Russian: драгома́н (ru) m (dragomán)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: драго̀ма̄н m

  Roman: dragòmān (sh) m

• Spanish: dragomán m, truchimán m
• Swedish: dragonman c
• Turkish: tercüman (tr)
• Ukrainian: драгома́н m (drahomán)

Anagrams

• Garamond

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic تُرْجُمَان (turjumān, “translator, interpreter”).

Noun

dragoman m anim

1. dragoman

Declension

Declension of dragoman (hard masculine animate)

	singular	plural
nominative	dragoman	dragomani
genitive	dragomana	dragomanů
dative	dragomanovi, dragomanu	dragomanům
accusative	dragomana	dragomany
vocative	dragomane	dragomani
locative	dragomanovi, dragomanu	dragomanech
instrumental	dragomanem	dragomany

Derived terms

• dragomanit
• dragomanský

 

French

Alternative forms

• drogman
• drogoman

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

dragoman m (plural dragomans)

1. dragoman

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek δραγουμάνος (dragoumános).

Noun

dragoman m (plural dragomani)

1. dragoman

Declension

Declension of dragoman

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) dragoman	dragomanul	(niște) dragomani	dragomanii
genitive/dative	(unui) dragoman	dragomanului	(unor) dragomani	dragomanilor
vocative	dragomanule		dragomanilor