IN GREEK
χαβάς
chavas
tune; repeated habit or obsession
IN TURKISH
hava
hava
air; weather; musical tune
WEAR THE WORD
χαβάς in blue ink and hava 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 uses the word for a tune or a habitual obsession; Turkish hava primarily means air or weather.
COMMENTS
An editor reads every comment before it appears.
SOURCES
- Triantafyllidis, Λεξικό της Κοινής Νεοελληνικής, entry χαβάς www.greek-language.gr
- Nişanyan Sözlük, entry hava www.nisanyansozluk.com
- 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) ‘χαβάς / hava’, entry 380, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/380-chavas/. Accessed [day month year].