dragoman

noun

drag·​o·​man ˈdra-gə-mən How to pronounce dragoman (audio)
plural dragomans or dragomen ˈdra-gə-mən How to pronounce dragoman (audio)
: an interpreter chiefly of Arabic, Turkish, or Persian employed especially in the Near East

Examples of dragoman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
These early vacationers often toured with large retinues, engaging local dragomans to guide them at great expense along the way. Peter Schwartzstein, Smithsonian, 24 Apr. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English drugeman, from Anglo-French, from Old Italian dragomanno, from Middle Greek dragomanos, from Arabic tarjumān, from Aramaic tūrgĕmānā

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dragoman was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dragoman

Cite this Entry

“Dragoman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dragoman. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on dragoman

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!