IN GREEK
χαϊβάνι
chaivani
brute, dimwit (insult)
IN TURKISH
hayvan
hayvan
animal; also a crude insult
WEAR THE WORD
χαϊβάνι in blue ink and hayvan in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Arabic
- CATEGORY
- People and family
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- In Greek it survives only as an insult; in Turkish the primary meaning is animal.
- NOTES
- Reached Greek through Turkish.
COMMENTS
An editor reads every comment before it appears.
SOURCES
- Nişanyan Sözlük (checked online) Triantafyllidis (Λεξικό της Κοινής Νεοελληνικής)
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) ‘χαϊβάνι / hayvan’, entry 284, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/284-chaivani/. Accessed [day month year].