IN GREEK
χουβαρντάς
chouvarntas
generous, free spending person
IN TURKISH
hovarda
hovarda
womaniser; formerly also a lavish spender
WEAR THE WORD
χουβαρντάς in blue ink and hovarda in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Persian
- CATEGORY
- People and family
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Greek keeps the sense of open handed generosity, while Turkish today mostly means a womaniser.
- NOTES
- The exact Persian source form is uncertain; reached Greek through Turkish.
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) ‘χουβαρντάς / hovarda’, entry 285, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/285-chouvarntas/. Accessed [day month year].