Targeman
/ˈtɑːrdʒəmən/noun
A translator or interpreter, especially one working in the Middle East or in historical diplomatic and commercial settings.
Did you know?The word belongs to the same ancient translation tradition as the Jewish targumim, Aramaic renderings of Hebrew scriptures created for listeners who no longer understood biblical Hebrew.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Near East
Akkadian/Aramaic
targumanu / מתורגמן
“An interpreter or official translator; the precise ultimate origin is ancient and debated.”
Second Temple and Rabbinic periods
Aramaic
meturgeman
“An interpreter, especially one who orally rendered Hebrew scripture into Aramaic for an audience.”
Late Antiquity
Hebrew/Aramaic
targum
“A translation or interpretive rendering, especially an Aramaic version of Hebrew biblical text.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
tarjumān
“An interpreter or translator.”
Medieval Latin and Romance usage
Latin/Old French
dragoman / drugeman
“An interpreter or diplomatic translator in the eastern Mediterranean.”
16th–17th Century
English
targeman
“An interpreter or translator, used especially in descriptions of the Levant and the Ottoman world.”
Explore more surprising origins