Standard Lemma guide

bashi-bazouk

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /bæʃɪbəˈzuːk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An irregular soldier of the Ottoman army, reputed to be undisciplined and brutal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Turkish başıbozuk, from Ottoman Turkish باشی بوزوق (“an irregular soldier”). Literally, “broken-head”.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: բաշիբոզուկ (bašibozuk) — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army
  • Crimean Tatar: başı-bozuq — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army
  • Finnish: baššibazukki — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army
  • French: bachi-bouzouk — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army
  • Polish: baszybuzuk — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army
  • Russian: башибузук (bašibuzuk) — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army
  • Swedish: basji-bosuk — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army
  • Turkish: başıbozuk — irregular soldier of the Ottoman army