şehit
Turkish
editEtymology
editInherited from Ottoman Turkish شهید (şehid), from Arabic شَهِيد (šahīd).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editşehit (definite accusative şehidi, plural şehitler or şüheda)
- martyr
- a soldier, especially a Turkish one, killed in war
- 1921, Mehmet Akif Ersoy, İstiklâl Marşı:
- Şüheda fışkıracak, toprağı sıksan şüheda!
- Martyrs would pour forth, all martyrs, should one simply clutch the earth!
- (Can we date this quote?), “İzmir Marşı”:
- İzmir’in dağlarında oturdum kaldım /
İzmir’in dağlarında oturdum kaldım /
Şehit olanları deftere yazdım /
Şehit olanları deftere yazdım- I found myself sitting on the mountains of Izmir /
I found myself sitting on the mountains of Izmir /
I wrote down (the names of) the martyrs in a notebook /
I wrote down (the names of) the martyrs in a notebook
- I found myself sitting on the mountains of Izmir /
Usage notes
edit- şehit is used more frequently in the second sense in modern Turkish. Special cultural significance is afforded to the war dead, particularly young conscripts, and military service has been considered a tradition for young men.