giaour

[jou-uh r, jou-er]

noun Turkish.

an unbeliever; a non-Muslim, especially a Christian.

Origin of giaour

1555–65; earlier gower, gour < Turkish gâvur < Persian gaur, variant of gabr Zoroastrian, non-Muslim; spelling giaour < French, with gi- representing Turk palatalized g, later taken as spelling for j

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for giaour

Historical Examples of giaour

"Your medicine is good, Giaour," she said, with the ghost of a disdainful laugh.
Paul Patoff
F. Marion Crawford
“The admiral is speaking to us and the Giaour” said Tom, who was acting as signal-midshipman.
The Three Commanders
W.H.G. Kingston
The Tornado and Giaour, with numerous other steam-vessels, accompanied the fleet.
The Three Commanders
W.H.G. Kingston
I will strike this giaour of a Frenchman in his tenderest spot—his heart!
The Son of Monte Christo
Jules Lermina
See, too, Medwin's story of "one of the principal incidents in The Giaour."
The Works Of Lord Byron, Vol. 3 (of 7)
Lord Byron

British Dictionary definitions for giaour

giaour

noun

a derogatory term for a non-Muslim, esp a Christian, used esp by the Turks

Word Origin for giaour

C16: from Turkish giaur unbeliever, from Persian gaur, variant of gäbr

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for giaour

1560s, Turkish term of contempt for non-Muslims, from Persian gaur, variant of gabr "fire-worshipper," originally applied to the adherents of the Zoroastrian religion.