dragoman

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noun

An interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages.

OriginMiddle English dragman ← Old French drugeman ← Medieval Latin dragumannus →
RareScrabble 12
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Meanings

noundragoman (plural dragomans or dragomen)

plural dragomans · plural dragomen · alternative drogman · alternative druggerman

  1. historicalAn interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages.

    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.

    1992, Martin R. Kalfatovic, Nile Notes of a Howadji, page 243
    1 more example

    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.

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

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
interpreter

Origin

  1. Akkadian𒅴𒁄“interpreter”
  2. Classical Syriacܬܰܪܓܡܳܢܳܐ
  3. Arabicتُرْجُمَان
  4. Medieval Greekδραγομάνος
  5. Medieval Latindragumannus
  6. Old Frenchdrugeman
  7. Middle Englishdragman
  8. Englishdragoman

From Middle English dragman, from Old French drugeman, from Medieval Latin dragumannus, from Medieval 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.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic تُرْجُمَان
  • تُرْجُمَان (turjumān)interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Czech dragoman
  • dragomaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
French drogman, drogoman
  • drogmaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
  • drogomaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
  • dragomaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
German Dolmetscher, Dragoman
  • Dolmetscherinterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
  • Dragomaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Greek δραγουμάνος
  • δραγουμάνος (dragoumános)interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Hebrew תרגמן
  • תרגמן (turgemán)interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Hungarian dragomán
  • dragománinterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Persian ترگمان
  • ترگمان (targomân)interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Polish dragoman
  • dragomaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Portuguese dragomano, drogomano
  • dragomanointerpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
  • drogomanointerpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Russian драгома́н
  • драгома́н (dragomán)interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Slovak dragoman
  • dragomaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Spanish dragomán, truchimán
  • dragománinterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
  • truchimáninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Swedish dragonman
  • dragonmaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Turkish tercüman
  • tercümaninterpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter
Ukrainian драгома́н
  • драгома́н (drahomán)interpreter, especially for the Arabic and Turkish languages — see also interpreter

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Garamond
Cite this entry
APA

dragoman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dragoman

MLA

“dragoman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dragoman. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dragoman,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dragoman.

Source: dragoman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.