IN GREEK
εργάτης
ergatis
worker; labourer
IN TURKISH
ırgat
ırgat
manual labourer; agricultural worker
WEAR THE WORD
εργάτης in blue ink and ırgat in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Greek to Turkish
- STARTED IN
- Ancient Greek
- CATEGORY
- People and family
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Turkish ırgat usually denotes a manual or agricultural labourer, narrower than Greek εργάτης.
COMMENTS
An editor reads every comment before it appears.
SOURCES
- Rona & Dedes (2007), Languages in Contact: Greek Loanwords in Turkish, Journal of Turkish Studies 31/II, p. 191 makale.isam.org.tr
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) ‘εργάτης / ırgat’, entry 244, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/244-ergatis/. Accessed [day month year].