kavass

K5A1V4A1S1S1

noun

A Turkish armed policeman or courier

OriginOttoman Turkish قواس ← Arabic قوّاس →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounkavass (plural kavasses)

plural kavasses · alternative cavass · alternative kavas

  1. A Turkish armed policeman or courier

Origin

  1. Arabicقَوْس“bow”
  2. Arabicقوّاس“archer”
  3. Ottoman Turkishقواس“guard, sentry”
  4. Englishkavass

From Ottoman Turkish قواس (kavvas, “guard, sentry”), derived from Arabic قوّاس (qawwās, “archer”), from Arabic قَوْس (qaws, “bow”).

More words from Ottoman Turkish, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

vakass
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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