غلام

Arabic

Etymology

From the root غ ل م (ḡ-l-m). Compare Hebrew עֶלֶם (ʿélem, a virgin boy).

Noun

غُلَام (ḡulām) m (plural غِلْمَان (ḡilmān) or غِلْمَة (ḡilma) or أَغْلِمَة (ʔaḡlima), feminine غُلَامَة (ḡulāma))

  1. a young male human, a boy-child
    Synonyms: صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy), فَتًى (fatan), شَابّ (šābb)
    Coordinate terms: صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya), فَتَاة (fatāh), شَابَّة (šābba), (archaic) جَارِيَة (jāriya)
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 19:7:
      يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ ٱسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ
      yā zakariyyā ʔinnā nubašširuka biḡulāmin smuhu yaḥyā
      Zakariyyāh, we bring you the good news of a boy whose name shall be Yaḥyāh.
    • 10th century, Al-Mutanabbi
      فَرُبَّ غُلَامٍ عَلَّمَ الْمَجْدَ نَفْسَهُ كَتَعْلِيمِ سَيْفِ الدَّوْلَةِ الطَّعْنَ وٱلضَّرْبَا
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
  2. a boy-servant; a slave-boy

Usage notes

The feminine of this word is now very rare, being instead replaced by صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya) or its synonyms.

Declension

Descendants

  • English: ghulam
  • Northern Kurdish: xulam
  • Ottoman Turkish: غلام (gulâm)
  • Persian: غلام (ğolâm)
  • Rohingya: gulam
  • Swahili: ghulamu
  • Tajik: ғулом (ġulom)

Persian

Etymology

From Arabic غُلَام (ḡulām).

Pronunciation

    • (Dari): IPA(key): /ɣʊlɒːm/

    Noun

    Dari غلام
    Iranian Persian
    Tajik ғулом (ġulom)

    غلام (ğolâm)

    1. servant, slave

    Synonyms

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