# عجم
## Arabic
### Etymology

From the root ع ج م (ʕ j m). The word عَجَم (ʕajam, “non-Arabs”) is from a pre-Islamic form أَعْجَم (ʔaʕjam), from the root ع ج م (ʕ j m), referring to people who speak unclearly (thus reflecting the same semantic evolution as Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “barbarian”)).

### Noun

عَجَم • (ʕajam) m (collective, singulative عَجَمِيّ m (ʕajamiyy), plural أَعْجَام (ʔaʕjām))
* non-Arabs (as foreigners or barbarians)
* (historical) Persians.
    Synonym: فُرْس (furs)

#### Usage notes

* The affective value attributed to the word depends on the point of view of the user, and the historical period. For example, it had a markedly negative connotation during the Umayyad period, whereas it was often quite positive in the Abbasid period, when Iranians had much political and social influence.

#### Synonyms

* أَعْجَم (ʔaʕjam)

#### Antonyms

* عَرَب (ʕarab)

#### Related terms

* عَجَمِيّ (ʕajamiyy)
* إِعْجَام (ʔiʕjām, “dots added to letters to distinguish between them”)
* مُعْجَم (muʕjam, “dictionary”)
* عُجْمَة (ʕujma, “a confused and obscure way of speaking”)

#### Descendants

* Gulf Arabic: عَيَم (ʕayam)
* → Azerbaijani: əcəm
* → Chagatai: عجم
** Uyghur: ئەجەم (ejem)
** Uzbek: ajam
* → Middle Armenian: աճամ (ačam)
* → Persian: عجم ('ajam)
** → Bengali: আজম (ajom)
** → Gujarati: અજમ (ajam)
** → Hindustani:
    Hindi: अजम (ajam)
    Urdu: عجم (ajam)
** → Ottoman Turkish: عجم (acem)
*** Turkish: Acem
*** → Albanian: axhem
*** → Armenian: աճեմ (ačem), ա̈ջա̈մ (äǰäm)
** → Pashto: عجم
* → Swahili: Uajemi, Mwajemi, Kiajemi

### Verb

عَجَمَ • (ʕajama) I (non-past يَعْجُمُ (yaʕjumu), verbal noun عَجْم (ʕajm))
* to bite, to chew
* to try, to test

#### Conjugation
### Verb

عَجَّمَ • (ʕajjama) II (non-past يُعَجِّمُ (yuʕajjimu), verbal noun تَعْجِيم (taʕjīm))
* to point the text, to write distinguishing marks to it

#### Conjugation
### Noun

عَجْم • (ʕajm) m
* verbal noun of عَجَمَ (ʕajama) (form I)

#### Declension
### Noun

عَجَم • (ʕajam) m (collective, singulative عَجَمَة f (ʕajama))
* stones, kernels, pits, pips, fruit seeds

#### Declension
### References

* Gabrieli, F. (1986) “ʿAdjam”, in Encyclopaedia of Islam, new ed., vol. I, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 206

## Azerbaijani
### Noun

عجم
* Arabic spelling of əcəm

### Proper noun

عجم
* Arabic spelling of Əcəm

## Ottoman Turkish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian عَجَم sg (ʿajam /⁠ʾajam⁠/, “an Ajam, a Persian”), from Arabic اَلْعَجَمُ m (al-ʕajamu, “the Ajams, the Persians”, definite nominative collective), which is related to أَعْجَمٌ m sg (ʔaʕjamun, indefinite nominative adjective).

### Noun

عجم • (Acem)
* an Ajam, a Persian

#### Descendants

* Turkish: Acem
* → Albanian: axhem
* → Armenian: աճեմ (ačem), ա̈ջա̈մ (äǰäm)

## Persian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic عَجَم (ʕajam, “non-Arab, Persian”).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Persian) IPA: [ʔa.d͡ʒam]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [ʔä.d͡ʒäm]
* (Dari, formal) IPA: [ʔä.d͡ʒäm]
** (Kabuli) IPA: [ʔä.d͡ʒäm]
** (Hazaragi) IPA: [ʔä.d͡ʒäm]
* (Iran, formal) IPA: [ʔæ.d͡ʒæm]
* (Tajik, formal) IPA: [ʔä.d͡ʒäm]

### Noun

عجم • ('ajam)
* Persian; Iranian; Ajam

### Proper noun

عجم • ('ajam)
* Iran; Persia
    Synonym: ایران (irân)
** c. 1010, Abū'l-Qāsim Firdawsī, شاهنامه [Shāhnāma]:بسی رنج بردم در این سال سی عجم زنده کردم بدین پارسیbasê ranj burdam dar în sâl sî ajam zinda kardam bad-în pârsîMuch toil have I borne in these thirty years, I have revived Persia with this Persian [work].(Classical Persian transliteration)
** c. 1542, Jamālī Dihlawī, مثنوی مهر و ماه [Masnavī-yi mihr u māh]:ز بعد مکه سیرم در عجم بود ولی بی هند خاطر می نیاسودze ba'd-i makka sayr-am dar ajam bûd walî bê hind xâtir mê nay-âsûdAfter Mecca, my journey was in Iran But without India, my heart found no rest.(Classical Persian transliteration)

#### Descendants

* → Bengali: আজম (ajom)
* → Gujarati: અજમ (ajam)
* → Hindustani:
    Hindi: अजम (ajam)
    Urdu: عجم (ajam)
* → Ottoman Turkish: عجم (acem)
** Turkish: Acem
** → Albanian: axhem
** → Armenian: աճեմ (ačem), ա̈ջա̈մ (äǰäm)
* → Pashto: عجم