غلام

Arabic

Etymology

From the root غ ل م (ḡ l m). Compare Hebrew עֶלֶם (ʿélem, “a virgin boy”).

Noun

غُلَام • (ḡulām) m (plural غِلْمَان (ḡilmān) or غِلْمَة (ḡilma) or أَغْلِمَة (ʔaḡlima), feminine غُلَامَة (ḡulāma))

1. a young male human, a boy-child

   Synonyms: صَبِيّ (ṣabiyy), فَتًى (fatan), شَابّ (šābb)

   Coordinate terms: صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya), فَتَاة (fatāh), شَابَّة (šābba), (archaic) جَارِيَة (jāriya)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 19:7:

     يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ ٱسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ

     yā zakariyyā ʔinnā nubašširuka biḡulāmin smuhu yaḥyā

     Zakariyyāh, we bring you the good news of a boy whose name shall be Yaḥyāh.

   • 10th century, Al-Mutanabbi

     فَرُبَّ غُلَامٍ عَلَّمَ الْمَجْدَ نَفْسَهُ كَتَعْلِيمِ سَيْفِ الدَّوْلَةِ الطَّعْنَ وٱلضَّرْبَا

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. a boy-servant; a slave-boy

Usage notes

The feminine of this word is now very rare, being instead replaced by صَبِيَّة (ṣabiyya) or its synonyms.

Declension

Declension of noun غُلَام (ḡulām)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	غُلَام ḡulām	الْغُلَام al-ḡulām	غُلَام ḡulām
nominative	غُلَامٌ ḡulāmun	الْغُلَامُ al-ḡulāmu	غُلَامُ ḡulāmu
accusative	غُلَامًا ḡulāman	الْغُلَامَ al-ḡulāma	غُلَامَ ḡulāma
genitive	غُلَامٍ ḡulāmin	الْغُلَامِ al-ḡulāmi	غُلَامِ ḡulāmi
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	غُلَامَيْن ḡulāmayn	الْغُلَامَيْن al-ḡulāmayn	غُلَامَيْ ḡulāmay
nominative	غُلَامَانِ ḡulāmāni	الْغُلَامَانِ al-ḡulāmāni	غُلَامَا ḡulāmā
accusative	غُلَامَيْنِ ḡulāmayni	الْغُلَامَيْنِ al-ḡulāmayni	غُلَامَيْ ḡulāmay
genitive	غُلَامَيْنِ ḡulāmayni	الْغُلَامَيْنِ al-ḡulāmayni	غُلَامَيْ ḡulāmay
plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	غِلْمَان‎; غِلْمَة‎; أَغْلِمَة ḡilmān‎; ḡilma‎; ʔaḡlima	الْغِلْمَان‎; الْغِلْمَة‎; الْأَغْلِمَة al-ḡilmān‎; al-ḡilma‎; al-ʔaḡlima	غِلْمَان‎; غِلْمَة‎; أَغْلِمَة ḡilmān‎; ḡilmat‎; ʔaḡlimat
nominative	غِلْمَانٌ‎; غِلْمَةٌ‎; أَغْلِمَةٌ ḡilmānun‎; ḡilmatun‎; ʔaḡlimatun	الْغِلْمَانُ‎; الْغِلْمَةُ‎; الْأَغْلِمَةُ al-ḡilmānu‎; al-ḡilmatu‎; al-ʔaḡlimatu	غِلْمَانُ‎; غِلْمَةُ‎; أَغْلِمَةُ ḡilmānu‎; ḡilmatu‎; ʔaḡlimatu
accusative	غِلْمَانًا‎; غِلْمَةً‎; أَغْلِمَةً ḡilmānan‎; ḡilmatan‎; ʔaḡlimatan	الْغِلْمَانَ‎; الْغِلْمَةَ‎; الْأَغْلِمَةَ al-ḡilmāna‎; al-ḡilmata‎; al-ʔaḡlimata	غِلْمَانَ‎; غِلْمَةَ‎; أَغْلِمَةَ ḡilmāna‎; ḡilmata‎; ʔaḡlimata
genitive	غِلْمَانٍ‎; غِلْمَةٍ‎; أَغْلِمَةٍ ḡilmānin‎; ḡilmatin‎; ʔaḡlimatin	الْغِلْمَانِ‎; الْغِلْمَةِ‎; الْأَغْلِمَةِ al-ḡilmāni‎; al-ḡilmati‎; al-ʔaḡlimati	غِلْمَانِ‎; غِلْمَةِ‎; أَغْلِمَةِ ḡilmāni‎; ḡilmati‎; ʔaḡlimati

Descendants

• → Bengali: গোলাম (gōlam)
• → English: ghulam
• → Hindi: ग़ुलाम (ġulām)
• → Northern Kurdish: xulam
• → Ottoman Turkish: غلام (gulâm)
• → Persian: غُلام (ġolâm)
• → Rohingya: gulam
• → Swahili: ghulamu
• → Tajik: ғулом (ġulom)
• → Urdu: غُلام (ġulām)

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic غُلَام (ḡulām).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ɣu.ˈlaːm/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɣʊ.lɑ́ːm]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɣʊ.lɑ́ːm]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ɣʊ.lɑ́ːm]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ɣu.lɔ́ːm]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [qo.lɒ́ːm]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʁu.lɔ́m]

Readings
Classical reading?	ġulām
Dari reading?	ġulām
Iranian reading?	ġolâm
Tajik reading?	ġulom

Noun

غلام • (ġulām / ġolâm) (plural غلامان (ġulāmān / ġolâmân), Tajik spelling ғулом)

1. servant, slave

   Synonyms: برده (barda / barde), بنده (banda / bande), عبد (abd)

   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 3985:

     من غلام موج آن دریای نور
     که چنین گوهر بر آرد در ظهور

     man ġulām-i mawj ān daryā-i nūr
     ki čūnīn gawhar ārad dar zuhūr

     I am the slave of the billow of that Sea of Light
     which brings a pearl like this into view.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian غلام (ġulām), from Arabic غُلَام (ḡulām). First attested in c. 1503 as Middle Hindi غلام (ġlam /⁠ġulām⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ɣʊ.lɑːm/
• Rhymes: -ɑːm
• Hyphenation: غُ‧لام

Noun

غُلام • (ġulām) m (formal plural غُلَامَان (ġulāmān), Hindi spelling ग़ुलाम)

1. slave
2. servant (of a more pious person)

   Synonym: خادِم (xādim)

3. (archaic) boy, young man
4. (card games) knave, jack
5. (figuratively) an obedient person

Declension

Declension of غلام

	singular	plural
direct	غُلَام (ġulām)	غُلَام (ġulām)
oblique	غُلَام (ġulām)	غُلَاموں (ġulāmõ)
vocative	غُلَام (ġulām)	غُلَامو (ġulāmo)

See also

Playing cards in Urdu · تاش (tāś) (layout · text)
اِکّا (ikkā)	دُکّا (dukkā)	تِکّا (tikkā)	چَوکا (caukā)	پَن٘جا (pañjā)	چَھکّا (chakkā)	سَتّا (sattā)
اَٹّھا (aṭṭhā)	نَہْلا (nahlā)	دَہْلا (dahlā)	غُلام (ġulām)	بیگَم (begam)	بادْشاہ (bādśāh)	جوکَر (jokar)

Further reading

• “غلام”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.
• Fallon, Platts, Qureshi, Shakespear (2024), “غلام”, in Digital Dictionaries of South Asia [Combined Urdu Dictionaries]