giaour

[ jou-uhr, jou-er ]

/ ˈdʒaʊ ər, ˈdʒaʊ ər /

Save This Word!

noun Turkish.

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

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Words nearby giaour

giant squid, giant star, giant steps, giant sunflower, giant tortoise, giaour, giardia, giardiasis, Giauque, gib, gibbed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use giaour in a sentence

The lady refused to visit our camp, and seemed to hold the Giaour in profound contempt.
The British Expedition to the Crimea|William Howard Russell
"Your medicine is good, Giaour," she said, with the ghost of a disdainful laugh.
Paul Patoff|F. Marion Crawford
The Giaour, Lara, and the Corsair make me justly style him a poet.
The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume I (of 2)|Florence A. Thomas Marshall
The "Giaour" is due to a personal adventure of Byron's, in which he played, as was his wont, a most energetic and generous part.
My Recollections of Lord Byron|Teresa Guiccioli

Byron speaks in his own person in the introduction of the "Giaour," which is replete with most exquisite beauty.
My Recollections of Lord Byron|Teresa Guiccioli

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