Dictionary.com

giaour

[ jou-uhr, jou-er ]
/ ˈdʒaʊ ər, ˈdʒaʊ ər /
Save This Word!

noun Turkish.
an unbeliever; a non-Muslim, especially a Christian.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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. 2023

How to use giaour in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for giaour

giaour
/ (ˈdʒaʊə) /

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
FEEDBACK