IN GREEK
χαράτσι
charatsi
heavy or unjust levy; historically the Ottoman poll tax
IN TURKISH
haraç
haraç
protection money, extortion; historically a tax on non Muslim subjects
WEAR THE WORD
χαράτσι in blue ink and haraç in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Arabic
- CATEGORY
- Trade and money
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Greek uses it for any burdensome levy, while Turkish now mainly means protection money and appears in haraç mezat, a hasty sell off.
- NOTES
- Arabic kharāj, land tax, tribute.
COMMENTS
An editor reads every comment before it appears.
SOURCES
- Nişanyan Sözlük (checked online)
Etymologies are checked against the dictionaries and studies listed. An entry is stamped settled only when both the Greek and the Turkish side have been checked. Research for this ledger was compiled with AI assistance and reviewed by the editors.
HOW TO CITE THIS ENTRY
Gold, K. (ed.) (2026) ‘χαράτσι / haraç’, entry 233, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/233-charatsi/. Accessed [day month year].