عجم

Arabic

Etymology 1

From the pre-Islamic form أَعْجَم‎ (ʾaʿjam), from the root ع ج م‎ (ʿ-j-m), referring to people who speak unclearly (thus reflecting the same semantic evolution as Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “barbarian”)).

Noun

عَجَم • (ʿajam) m (collective, singulative عَجَمِيّ‎ (ʿajamiyy), plural أَعْجَام‎ (ʾaʿjām))

  1. non-Arabs (as foreigners or barbarians)
  2. (later particularly or exclusively) Persians, Iranians.
    Synonym: فُرْس‎ (furs)
Usage notes
  • The affective value attributed to the word depends on the point of view of the user, and the historical period. For example, it had a markedly negative connotation during the Umayyad period, whereas it was often quite positive in the Abbasid period, when Iranians had much political and social influence.
Declension
Synonyms
Antonyms

Descendants

  • → Middle Armenian: աճամ (ačam)
  • → Persian: عجم‎ ('ajam)
    • → Ottoman Turkish: عجم‎ (acem)
      • Turkish: acem
      • → Armenian: աճեմ (ačem), ա̈ջա̈մ (äǰäm)
References

Etymology 2

Noun

عَجَم • (ʿajam) m (collective, singulative عَجَمَة‎ (ʿajama))

  1. stones, kernels, pits, pips, fruit seeds
Declension

Persian

Etymology

From Arabic عَجَم‎ (ʿajam, “non-Arab, Persian”).

Noun

عجم • ('ajam)

  1. Persian (as opposed to Arab)
    ‏بسی رنج بردم در این سال سی
    عجم زنده كردم بدین پارسی    ‎
    Basē ranj burdam dar īn sāl sī.
    'Ajam zinda kardam badīn Pārsī.
    Much toil have I borne in these thirty years.
    I have revived the Persians with this Persian [work].
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