غلام

Arabic

Etymology

From the root غ ل م (ḡ-l-m). Compare Hebrew עֶלֶם (ʿélem, “a virgin boy”).

Noun

غُلَام • (ḡulām) m (plural غِلْمَان (ḡilmān) or غِلْمَة (ḡilma) or أَغْلِمَة (ʔaḡlima), feminine غُلَامَة (ḡulāma))

  1. a young male human, a boy-child
    Synonyms: صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy), فَتًى (fatan), شَابّ (šābb)
    Coordinate terms: صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya), فَتَاة (fatāh), شَابَّة (šābba), (archaic) جَارِيَة (jāriya)
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 19:7:
      يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ ٱسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ
      yā zakariyyā ʔinnā nubašširuka biḡulāmin smuhu yaḥyā
      Zakariyyāh, we bring you the good news of a boy whose name shall be Yaḥyāh.
    • 10th century, Al-Mutanabbi
      فَرُبَّ غُلَامٍ عَلَّمَ الْمَجْدَ نَفْسَهُ كَتَعْلِيمِ سَيْفِ الدَّوْلَةِ الطَّعْنَ وٱلضَّرْبَا
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. a boy-servant; a slave-boy

Usage notes

The feminine of this word is now very rare, being instead replaced by صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya) or its synonyms.

Declension
Declension of noun غُلَام (ḡulām)
Singular basic singular triptote
Indefinite Definite Construct
Informal غُلَام
ḡulām		 الْغُلَام
al-ḡulām		 غُلَام
ḡulām
Nominative غُلَامٌ
ḡulāmun		 الْغُلَامُ
al-ḡulāmu		 غُلَامُ
ḡulāmu
Accusative غُلَامًا
ḡulāman		 الْغُلَامَ
al-ḡulāma		 غُلَامَ
ḡulāma
Genitive غُلَامٍ
ḡulāmin		 الْغُلَامِ
al-ḡulāmi		 غُلَامِ
ḡulāmi
Dual Indefinite Definite Construct
Informal غُلَامَيْن
ḡulāmayn		 الْغُلَامَيْن
al-ḡulāmayn		 غُلَامَيْ
ḡulāmay
Nominative غُلَامَانِ
ḡulāmāni		 الْغُلَامَانِ
al-ḡulāmāni		 غُلَامَا
ḡulāmā
Accusative غُلَامَيْنِ
ḡulāmayni		 الْغُلَامَيْنِ
al-ḡulāmayni		 غُلَامَيْ
ḡulāmay
Genitive غُلَامَيْنِ
ḡulāmayni		 الْغُلَامَيْنِ
al-ḡulāmayni		 غُلَامَيْ
ḡulāmay
Plural basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
Indefinite Definite Construct
Informal غِلْمَان‎; غِلْمَة‎; أَغْلِمَة
ḡilmān‎; ḡilma‎; ʔaḡlima		 الْغِلْمَان‎; الْغِلْمَة‎; الْأَغْلِمَة
al-ḡilmān‎; al-ḡilma‎; al-ʔaḡlima		 غِلْمَان‎; غِلْمَة‎; أَغْلِمَة
ḡilmān‎; ḡilmat‎; ʔaḡlimat
Nominative غِلْمَانٌ‎; غِلْمَةٌ‎; أَغْلِمَةٌ
ḡilmānun‎; ḡilmatun‎; ʔaḡlimatun		 الْغِلْمَانُ‎; الْغِلْمَةُ‎; الْأَغْلِمَةُ
al-ḡilmānu‎; al-ḡilmatu‎; al-ʔaḡlimatu		 غِلْمَانُ‎; غِلْمَةُ‎; أَغْلِمَةُ
ḡilmānu‎; ḡilmatu‎; ʔaḡlimatu
Accusative غِلْمَانًا‎; غِلْمَةً‎; أَغْلِمَةً
ḡilmānan‎; ḡilmatan‎; ʔaḡlimatan		 الْغِلْمَانَ‎; الْغِلْمَةَ‎; الْأَغْلِمَةَ
al-ḡilmāna‎; al-ḡilmata‎; al-ʔaḡlimata		 غِلْمَانَ‎; غِلْمَةَ‎; أَغْلِمَةَ
ḡilmāna‎; ḡilmata‎; ʔaḡlimata
Genitive غِلْمَانٍ‎; غِلْمَةٍ‎; أَغْلِمَةٍ
ḡilmānin‎; ḡilmatin‎; ʔaḡlimatin		 الْغِلْمَانِ‎; الْغِلْمَةِ‎; الْأَغْلِمَةِ
al-ḡilmāni‎; al-ḡilmati‎; al-ʔaḡlimati		 غِلْمَانِ‎; غِلْمَةِ‎; أَغْلِمَةِ
ḡilmāni‎; ḡilmati‎; ʔaḡlimati

Descendants

Persian

Etymology

From Arabic غُلَام (ḡulām).

Pronunciation
 
  • (Dari, formal) IPA(key): [ɣʊ.lɑ́ːm]
    • (Kabuli) IPA(key): [ɣʊ.lɑ́ːm]
    • (Hazaragi) IPA(key): [ɣu.lɔ́ːm]

Readings
Classical reading? ğulām
Dari reading? ğulām
Iranian reading? ğolâm
Tajik reading? ġulom

Noun
Dari غلام
Iranian Persian
Tajik ғулом

غُلام • (ğolâm) (plural غلمان)

  1. servant, slave

Synonyms

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian غلام (ğulām), itself from Arabic غُلَام (ḡulām).

Pronunciation
  • (Standard Urdu) IPA(key): /ɣʊ.lɑːm/
  • Rhymes: -ɑːm
  • Hyphenation: غُ‧لام

Noun

غُلام • (ġulām) m (Hindi spelling ग़ुलाम)

  1. slave
  2. servant (of a more pious person)
    Synonym: خادِم (xādim)
  3. (card games) knave, jack
  4. (obsolete) boy, young man
  5. (figuratively) an obedient person

Declension
Declension of غلام
singular plural
direct غُلام (ġulām) غُلام (ġulām)
oblique غُلام (ġulām) غُلاموں (ġulāmō̃)
vocative غُلام (ġulām) غُلامو (ġulāmō)

See also
Playing cards in Urdu · تاش (tāś) (layout · text)
اِکّا (ikkā) دُکّا (dukkā) تِکّا (tikkā) چَوکا (caukā) پَن٘جا (pañjā) چَھکّا (chakkā) سَتّا (sattā)
اَٹّھا (aṭṭhā) نَہْلا (nahlā) دَہْلا (dahlā) غُلام (ġulām) بیگَم (begam) بادْشاہ (bādśāh) جوکَر (jokar)

References
  • “غلام”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • “غلام”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
  • Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “غلام”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.
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