Meanings
hajduk1
plural hajduks
- historicalAn outlaw, highwayman, or freedom fighter in the Balkans.
- historicalA halberdier of a Hungarian noble.
Hajduk2
Origin
hajduk · noun
- Hungarianhajdúk
- Englishhajduk
Borrowed from Hungarian hajdúk, plural of hajdú (“foot-soldier”). The Hungarian word may derive from hajtó which meant “(cattle) drover”. In 16th century Hungary, cattle driving was an important and dangerous occupation and drovers traveled armed. Some of them ended up as bandits or retainers in the service of local landowners and many may have become soldiers. In any case, the term hajdúk came to be used in the 16th century to describe irregular soldiers. There is probably an etymological link between hajdú and the Turkish word haydut, which was used by the Ottomans to describe Hungarian infantry soldiers and has the sense 'outlaw, robber' in modern Turkish usage, though it is not clear whether the word travelled from Hungarian to Turkish or vice versa.
More words from Hungarian
Full word history & related roots →Hajduk · proper noun
- PolishHajduk
- EnglishHajduk
Borrowed from Polish Hajduk.
More words from Polish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian хайду́к
- хайду́к (hajdúk)outlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Dutch heiduk, heiduk
- heidukoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
- heidukmercenary foot soldier in Hungary
Finnish heitukka, heitukka
- heitukkaoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
- heitukkamercenary foot soldier in Hungary
French haïdouk
- haïdoukoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
German Heiduck, Heiduck
- Heiduckoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
- Heiduckmercenary foot soldier in Hungary
Hungarian hajdú
- hajdúmercenary foot soldier in Hungary
Italian aiducco
- aiduccooutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Latin hajdo
- hajdomercenary foot soldier in Hungary
Polish hajduk, hajduk
- hajdukoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
- hajdukmercenary foot soldier in Hungary
Portuguese haiduque
- haiduqueoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Romanian haiduc
- haiducoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Russian гайду́к
- гайду́к (gajdúk)outlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Slovak hajdúch
- hajdúchmercenary foot soldier in Hungary
Spanish haiduc, haiduqe
- haiducoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
- haiduqeoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Turkish haydut
- haydutoutlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Ukrainian гайду́к, гайдама́ка
- гайду́к (hajdúk)outlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
- гайдама́ка (hajdamáka)outlaw, highwayman or freedom fighter in the Balkans
Cite this entry
hajduk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hajduk
“hajduk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hajduk. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hajduk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hajduk.
Source: hajduk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.