See also: عجز

Arabic edit

Etymology edit

Unknown, in Modern Standard Arabic use from Egyptian Arabic extended from the name one of the tribes of Doms in Egypt. Attested in al-Jāḥiẓ (ᛦ 868) as the occupation of a Baṣran, in the form كَجَار (kajār) or كَچَار (kačār) (without ʔiʕjām): possibly clipped from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀸𑀬𑀭 (bhikkhāyara) from Sanskrit भिक्षाचर (bhikṣācara) which gave Hindustani بھکھاری / भिखारी (bhikhārī), all meaning “beggar”, and originally a designation for mendicants of mixed ethnic affiliation.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

غَجَر (ḡajarm (collective, singulative غَجَرِيّ m (ḡajariyy))

  1. Ghagar, one of the tribes of Doms in Egypt
  2. Gypsies (Romani)
  3. a rude or abusive person

Declension edit

References edit

  • Richardson, Kristina (2017), “Tracing a Gypsy Mixed Language through Medieval and Early Modern Arabic and Persian Literature”, in Der Islam[1], volume 94, issue 1, →DOI, page 117