Tercüman
/teɾd͡ʒyˈman/noun
An interpreter or translator, especially in Turkish or Ottoman contexts.
Did you know?The related Ottoman office of the tercüman became politically powerful because interpreters often controlled access between the empire and European diplomats.
Etymological Timeline
Late Antiquity or earlier
Aramaic
מְתַרְגְּמָנָא (metargəmānā)
“Interpreter or translator; traditionally connected with the Aramaic verb meaning “to translate.””
Early Islamic period
Arabic
ترجمان (tarjumān)
“Interpreter or translator; a widely used administrative and diplomatic term.”
Byzantine Greek
Greek
δραγουμάνος (dragoumános)
“Interpreter or official translator, borrowed through Near Eastern diplomatic usage.”
Medieval period
Arabic/Persian usage
ترجمان (tarjumān)
“A court or diplomatic interpreter, especially in multilingual trading and imperial settings.”
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish
ترجمان (tercümân)
“Interpreter, translator, or diplomatic intermediary.”
Modern Turkish
Turkish
tercüman
“Interpreter or translator.”