IN GREEK
ζεϊμπέκικο
zeimpekiko
zeibekiko, a solo improvised dance in 9/8
IN TURKISH
zeybek
zeybek
zeybek, Aegean folk dance; historically irregular armed men of western Anatolia
WEAR THE WORD
ζεϊμπέκικο in blue ink and zeybek in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Arabic
- CATEGORY
- Music and feeling
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Greek formed an adjective naming the dance; Turkish zeybek names both the dance and the historical fighters.
- NOTES
- Ultimate origin of zeybek is uncertain. Nişanyan says zeybek is borrowed from Arabic and Persian zībaḳ, a folk epic hero, which Arabic took from Syriac.
COMMENTS
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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) ‘ζεϊμπέκικο / zeybek’, entry 348, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/348-zeimpekiko/. Accessed [day month year].