dragoman

noun

drag·​o·​man ˈdra-gə-mən How to pronounce dragoman (audio)
plural dragomans or dragomen ˈdra-gə-mən How to pronounce dragoman (audio)
: an interpreter chiefly of Arabic, Turkish, or Persian employed especially in the Near East

Examples of dragoman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These early vacationers often toured with large retinues, engaging local dragomans to guide them at great expense along the way. Peter Schwartzstein, Smithsonian, 24 Apr. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dragoman.' 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

Middle English drugeman, from Anglo-French, from Old Italian dragomanno, from Middle Greek dragomanos, from Arabic tarjumān, from Aramaic tūrgĕmānā

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dragoman was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dragoman

Cite this Entry

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

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