Bedu
/ˈbɛduː/noun
A member of a traditionally nomadic Arab-speaking people of the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa.
Did you know?Bedu is an English form of Arabic badū, while the related term Bedouin ultimately preserves the same desert-nomad identity through French and English transmission.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic period
Proto-Semitic
*b-d-w
“To be in the open country or steppe; a reconstructed root associated with nomadic desert life.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
badw
“The open desert or countryside, contrasted with settled urban life.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
badū
“Desert nomads or inhabitants of the open country.”
19th Century
English
Bedouin
“A nomadic Arab of the desert; borrowed through French and related European forms.”
20th Century
English
Bedu
“A shorter English form referring to a Bedouin person or community.”