Trucheman
/ˈtruːtʃəmən/noun
An interpreter, especially one serving as a guide or intermediary between speakers of different languages.
Did you know?Trucheman belongs to the same ancient translation-word family as Arabic tarjuman and English dragoman, whose trail may reach back to Akkadian diplomatic vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
2nd millennium BCE
Akkadian
targumannu
“Interpreter or translator; often proposed as an early source for the later Near Eastern word family.”
Ancient Aramaic
Aramaic
targəmānā
“Interpreter or translator.”
Late Antiquity
Arabic
tarjumān
“Interpreter, translator, or official intermediary.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
drugeman / trucheman
“An interpreter, especially one operating in the eastern Mediterranean.”
14th Century
Middle English
trucheman
“An interpreter or translator.”
Modern English
English
trucheman
“An archaic or historical term for an interpreter.”