Bedouin

American  

[bed-oo-in, bed-win] / ˈbɛd u ɪn, ˈbɛd wɪn /

Or Beduin

noun

Bedouins, plural Bedouin plural

1. an Arab of the desert, in Asia or Africa; nomadic Arab.

2. a nomad; wanderer.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Bedouin.

Bedouin British  

/ ˈbɛdʊɪn /

noun

1. a member of any of the nomadic tribes of Arabs inhabiting the deserts of Arabia, Jordan, and Syria, as well as parts of the Sahara

2. a wanderer or rover

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Bedouins

2. wandering or roving

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Bedouinism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Bedouin
  plural
• Bedouins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Bedouin

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Bedoynes (plural), from Old French beduyn (singular), from Arabic badawīn “desert-dwellers,” plural of badawī, equivalent to badw “desert” + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; in the Western languages, the Arabic plural form -īn was interpreted to be part of the basic form

Example Sentences

Back in al-Mughayyir, settlers have already pushed Bedouin shepherds off their land nearby.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

The Syrian authorities said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses and monitors accused them of siding with the Bedouin.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

The dispute broke out early in the morning in the village of Kheshan between members of a Bedouin tribe, the official said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.

From Barron's • Nov. 15, 2025

Under successive Egyptian governments, commercial development of the Sinai has been carried out without consulting the indigenous Bedouin communities.

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2025

A woman in the back said, “The Bedouin were also very upset, but they said they’d just handle it themselves.”

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri