بلطجي

Arabic

Etymology

From the dialects of the eastern Mediterranean, including Egyptian Arabic بلطجي (balṭagi, “thug”), from Ottoman Turkish بالطه‌جی (baltacı, literally “axeman”). Related to Arabic بَلْطَة (balṭa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bal.tˤa.d͡ʒijj/

Noun

بَلْطَجِيّ • (balṭajiyy) m (plural بَلَاطِجَة (balāṭija) or بَلْطَجِيُّونَ (balṭajiyyūna), feminine بَلْطَجِيَّة (balṭajiyya)) (countable, Modern Standard Arabic)

1. a thug

Declension

Declension of noun بَلْطَجِيّ (balṭajiyy)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	بَلْطَجِي balṭajī	الْبَلْطَجِي al-balṭajī	بَلْطَجِي balṭajī
nominative	بَلْطَجِيٌّ balṭajiyyun	الْبَلْطَجِيُّ al-balṭajiyyu	بَلْطَجِيُّ balṭajiyyu
accusative	بَلْطَجِيًّا balṭajiyyan	الْبَلْطَجِيَّ al-balṭajiyya	بَلْطَجِيَّ balṭajiyya
genitive	بَلْطَجِيٍّ balṭajiyyin	الْبَلْطَجِيِّ al-balṭajiyyi	بَلْطَجِيِّ balṭajiyyi
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	بَلْطَجِيَّيْن balṭajiyyayn	الْبَلْطَجِيَّيْن al-balṭajiyyayn	بَلْطَجِيَّيْ balṭajiyyay
nominative	بَلْطَجِيَّانِ balṭajiyyāni	الْبَلْطَجِيَّانِ al-balṭajiyyāni	بَلْطَجِيَّا balṭajiyyā
accusative	بَلْطَجِيَّيْنِ balṭajiyyayni	الْبَلْطَجِيَّيْنِ al-balṭajiyyayni	بَلْطَجِيَّيْ balṭajiyyay
genitive	بَلْطَجِيَّيْنِ balṭajiyyayni	الْبَلْطَجِيَّيْنِ al-balṭajiyyayni	بَلْطَجِيَّيْ balṭajiyyay
plural	sound masculine plural‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	بَلْطَجِيِّين‎; بَلَاطِجَة‎; بَلْطَجِيَّة balṭajiyyīn‎; balāṭija‎; balṭajiyya	الْبَلْطَجِيِّين‎; الْبَلَاطِجَة‎; الْبَلْطَجِيَّة al-balṭajiyyīn‎; al-balāṭija‎; al-balṭajiyya	بَلْطَجِيِّي‎; بَلَاطِجَة‎; بَلْطَجِيَّة balṭajiyyī‎; balāṭijat‎; balṭajiyyat
nominative	بَلْطَجِيُّونَ‎; بَلَاطِجَةٌ‎; بَلْطَجِيَّةٌ balṭajiyyūna‎; balāṭijatun‎; balṭajiyyatun	الْبَلْطَجِيُّونَ‎; الْبَلَاطِجَةُ‎; الْبَلْطَجِيَّةُ al-balṭajiyyūna‎; al-balāṭijatu‎; al-balṭajiyyatu	بَلْطَجِيُّو‎; بَلَاطِجَةُ‎; بَلْطَجِيَّةُ balṭajiyyū‎; balāṭijatu‎; balṭajiyyatu
accusative	بَلْطَجِيِّينَ‎; بَلَاطِجَةً‎; بَلْطَجِيَّةً balṭajiyyīna‎; balāṭijatan‎; balṭajiyyatan	الْبَلْطَجِيِّينَ‎; الْبَلَاطِجَةَ‎; الْبَلْطَجِيَّةَ al-balṭajiyyīna‎; al-balāṭijata‎; al-balṭajiyyata	بَلْطَجِيِّي‎; بَلَاطِجَةَ‎; بَلْطَجِيَّةَ balṭajiyyī‎; balāṭijata‎; balṭajiyyata
genitive	بَلْطَجِيِّينَ‎; بَلَاطِجَةٍ‎; بَلْطَجِيَّةٍ balṭajiyyīna‎; balāṭijatin‎; balṭajiyyatin	الْبَلْطَجِيِّينَ‎; الْبَلَاطِجَةِ‎; الْبَلْطَجِيَّةِ al-balṭajiyyīna‎; al-balāṭijati‎; al-balṭajiyyati	بَلْطَجِيِّي‎; بَلَاطِجَةِ‎; بَلْطَجِيَّةِ balṭajiyyī‎; balāṭijati‎; balṭajiyyati

Egyptian Arabic

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بالطه‌جی (baltacı, “hatchetman, axeman”). By surface analysis, بلطة (balṭa) +‎ ـجي (-gi).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bal.tˤa.ɡi/, [bɑlˈtˤɑɡi]

Noun

بلطجي • (balṭagi) m (plural بلطجيّة (balṭagiyya)) (countable)

1. a thug, a gangster, a hoodlum, a goon, a hooligan

   ده لازم يتحاكم البلطجي ده. الولد اللي اتقتل ده ذنبه ايه؟ بجد والله شيء محزن.

   da lāzim yitḥākim il-balṭagi da. il-walad illi tʔatal da zambu ʔē? bi-gadd wa-llāhi šēʔ muḥzin.

   He must be prosecuted, that thug! That boy that was killed, what did he do wrong? I swear to God this is something really saddening.

   من داخلية مصر لداخلية السودان مفرقناش كتير كلهم شوية بلطجية.

   min daḵliyyit maṣr li-daḵliyyit is-sudān mafarraʔnāš kitīr kulluhum šiwayyit balṭagiyya.

   Between the Egyptian police and the Sudanese police, there is not much of a distinction; all of them are a bunch of thugs.

   1. a bully

      لازم نحرص منه ده واد بلطجي.

      lāzim niḥarras minnu da wād balṭagi.

      We must watch for him, that kid is a bully.

2. (obsolete, military) a pioneer, a sapper (a class of palace guards in the Ottoman Empire)

Synonyms

• بطحجي (baṭaḥgi)
• شبيح (šabbīḥ)
• صايع (ṣāyiʕ)

Derived terms

• بلطج (balṭag)
• بلطجة (balṭaga)

See also

• بلطة (balṭa)