Arabic

Noun

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

1. barbarians, non-Arabs
2. Persians

Declension

Usage notes

The affective value attributed to the word depended on the point of view of the user, and the historical period. It usually had a negative meaning, particularly during the Umayyad period, while in Abbasid period, during which Iranians had political and social supremacy, it was a positive.

Synonyms

• أَعْجَم ‎(ʾaʿjam)

Antonyms

• عَرَب ‎(ʿarab)

Derived terms

• عَجَمِيّ ‎(ʿajamiyy)
• إِعْجَام ‎(ʾiʿjām)

Related terms

• عُجْمَة ‎(ʿujma, “a confused and obscure way of speaking”)

Descendants

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

References

• F. Gabrieli (1986), "ʿAdjam" in Encyclopaedia of Islam, new ed., vol. I, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 206

Etymology 2

Noun

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

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

Declension

Persian

Noun

عجم • ‎('ajam)

1. Persian (as opposed to Arab)